


Untamed

by Silverladys



Category: Dragonball Z
Genre: Action, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-14
Updated: 2016-08-02
Packaged: 2017-12-05 07:08:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 54,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/720253
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silverladys/pseuds/Silverladys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alternate Universe.</p><p>Vegeta spent years stuck in a savage planet because of Freeza. Meanwhile, Bulma and her friends are searching for the black star dragonballs so the Earth wont´be destroyed. Will them be able to team up against an incoming menace?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Name is... Vegeta

The air grew tense. The immense beast raised his head, smelling the breeze along with his mate. The birds were utterly silent, a warning of danger in the woods. However, the only vaguely familiar smell belonged to a harmless animal that wouldn't offer any distress to the almighty langozaurs. After a few moments, the couple relaxed and returned to their grass meal.

Langozaurs were herbivorous, but they were also among the biggest creatures that inhabited the forsaken world. The number of predators that dared to risk their lives for their meat was very small. This was especially true when it came for a couple, and the female was pregnant like that type. Pregnant female langozaurs released hormones that softened their meat, giving it a sweet taste. The other chemical was a smell that put their mates on alert, causing them to be more protective. So they were supposed to be in relative safety. Or at least they would have been five years ago, before a mysterious star fell out of the sky like a punishment for an uncommitted sin. From that night on, a new unknown beast terrified all animals. Both predator and prey were targets as long that they weren't too little to deserve his attention. The strange being seemed to have a taste for the biggest, most dangerous ones. Unlike the cruelest predators, which killed only for food or to defend territory, this creature killed also for pleasure.

A pair of black eyes peered through the foliage, mere centimeters from the male langozaur. They remained as still as the rest of their owner's body. The only movement that any observer could detect was a slight tremble at the tip of his tail firmly wrapped around his waist; this trembling was also the only thing that betrayed his excitement. All his tense muscles bulged magnificently beneath his tanned skin covered only by a mixture of grease and fluids from harmless animals. 

The list of things he hated could fill a thick book. That greasy stuff would certainly be written in the first page; however, there wasn’t another option. Throughout his long exile, his subtle smell had become well known to the animals of the rainforest, and it was enough to terrify them. At least that was better than the excrement he had used first. 

The big male snorted. Having no more leaves from his previous side, he started to turn in search for more in other place. The hidden hunter couldn't lose this chance. 

He jumped. His small foot slammed into the langozaur's side, forcing the huge animal to the ground. Sending a cloud of dust into the air it landed in the grass. At the same time a loud bellow betrayed the surprised fear and pain of the male langozaur. However, a mere single push would never be sufficient to ground the king of woods. His bellow changed from fear to rage as he swiped his long tail dangerously toward his foe, while he balanced on his legs to stand up again. The tail of a langozaur was its most dangerous part, not only because of the strength of its impact, but also due to the poisoned spikes on the tip. Even one single scratch could bring death to animals. Well the little man knew this fact for he had almost died from a strong fever caused by an injury on his first try hunting the beast, before his powerful Saiyan constitution won. He had become a specialist at avoiding those tail spikes after that disaster. As he jumped aside he sneered, easily avoiding the dangerous appendage. While it swept away from him, he arched his arm down, chopping the base of the tail with the side of his hand, cleanly severing it from the langozaur’s body.

A horrible wail echoed throughout the valley, scaring birds and other animals away. It warned them that the menace was back, for it wasn't the first time they heard that sound. The langozaur roared in pain and incredulity. Although he had won many fights against other langozaurs and predators of many other species, none of them had inflicted such pain. Before he could recover from his shock, the little creature jumped to the dinosaur's torso and pummeled him mercilessly. The beast reared with rage and tried to reach him with his teeth; but the man stood at the tallest spot of the langosaur´s back where the beast’s big snout couldn’t reach him. He laughed and taunted the animal, savoring the beast’s despair and rage. 

If the man still had his powers, such hunting would have been very different. He would simply fly towards the beast, and blast the prey's head with the palm of his hand. Unfortunately those powers had been denied him since he set foot in this blasted, little place. All he could count on then was his agility and his incredible strength, and he excelled with both. 

Okay, enough playing. He took one step, putting himself at the range of the beast's teeth. The creature bared his teeth menacingly, thinking he could bite his enemy, then charged. Bad move. The small man jumped aside, avoiding the teeth, then once again raised the palm of his hand. A few seconds later, the langozaur´s head thudded against the ground. 

The female had watched the fight between her mate and the small creature. When her mate fell, she stood frozen in her place. The man almost could see her puny brain struggling with the dilemma of either attacking him or running away. Finally she charged him, with an enraged booming sound. Silly choice, thought the man, though it actually didn't make any difference. Whether she attacked or ran, her fate was sealed. 

He jumped aside, avoiding her attack, and rolled until he was under her belly. Even though Langozaurs possessed very hard skin, the flesh of their bellies was vulnerable, though hard to reach. However, he was small enough to slide between her heavy, swollen abdomen and the ground. The female stopped abruptly as she felt an excruciating pain tearing her from groin to gullet. She made a move to try and turn away… but it was far too late. Her body crashed to the ground near her mate, while a jet of blood sprouted through her belly, right on the face of her aggressor. He seemed pleased at this, if not more excited than he already was. She stared at the little monster bathed in the blood that belonged to her and her unborn cub. Tiny eyes round and wide with terror she watched as the hand of death came down once again to cease the pain. Then she never saw anything again.

Wildly, the man laughed as he shredded his dead prey into smaller pieces with his teeth and hands. Repeatedly, he gnawed on the raw, bloody flesh, more for the joy of slaughtering the animal than for hunger. He chewed, ate, laughed, and bathed in blood, until he finally collapsed in exhaustion. He laid face down on the bloody soil for what seemed to be eternity.

Suddenly, his eyes opened. He turned his face to his side, as he inhaled slowly and repeatedly, like someone who woke from a nightmare.

"Vegeta. My name is Vegeta. I am the... prince of the Saiyans," he muttered, remaining in that position for a moment before turning again and leaning up on his hands. 

The sound of his own voice sounded alien to him. Back in the days of his former life, Vegeta used to think aloud whenever he was alone; an habit he had kept during his first two years of staying in that forsaken place. As the time passed, the habit became rarer and rarer, until it diminished to occasional mumbles. Save for roars and gloating laughs during his hunting, most of time he just grunted. His life had changed so much that many things he used to do without conscious thought before were almost completely forgotten. Like eating cooked meat, wearing clothes, or even… cleaning himself daily. 

He stood up and looked down, suddenly self-conscious of his nudity, as well of the way his skin was completely covered with dust, grease, blood, and God knows what else. He swept the blood from his mouth with one dirty fist, feeling the skin at the back of his hand tickling as it contacted to his chin. Damn it. Luckily Saiyans tended not to grow beards much, and he always had been proud of his clean-shaved, square jaw. What was this place doing to him?

"That's it. Much more of this, and I'll be on all fours, snarling and slobbering, just like any of these pathetic brutes," he said.

The Saiyan picked up one of the biggest pieces of meat he had tore apart, and started carrying it easily toward his lodgings. Even though he would like to march right over to the river to have a bath, he knew that if he abandoned his hard-won meat out in the open, there would be little left of it when he returned.

A few days after his arrival on this world he had lodged in a cave as his refuge. Nevertheless it soon became clear that it wouldn’t be “temporary”. The odor of the monster that had “generously” given him its home (and whose fur still adorned his bed) still persisted as it now mixed with his. That was enough to keep most of the thieves away, though there wasn’t much to steal. And, Vegeta wrinkled his nose in disgust, soon the smell would be enough to keep him away! 

He glowered at his bed as he put the meat down. It was a simple hole carved on the floor that was filled with furs. The improvised bedclothes needed some cleaning and sun, no doubt about that, - but not now. He still had to slice the meat in pieces, maybe some fire to dry it… damn, he hated doing that! Yet he also realized preparing it that way, preserved the meat so it lasted longer, and provided a welcome change after so many months eating raw meat. Vegeta crouched and picked up an object next to the bed. It was a triangle-shaped dagger, made of luthaniun. It was a rare mineral, especially because most of the planets that contained it didn’t exist anymore. He had found it among the bones of the unfortunate fool exiled there before of him, that and… 

Along with his line of thought, his gaze diverted toward a pile of rocks at the bottom of the cave. He walked toward it, crouched again, and carefully removed the rocks one by one. It was a useless act, since he knew by heart what was in that hole, but he couldn’t help it. Such a compulsion resembled a kid who checked up on his most precious treasures with the excuse to see if they’re still as he left them before. 

After all the rocks were removed, a small orange ball with one star on it was revealed nestled on what seemed a pile of old, dirty rags. Vegeta picked the ball up, looked at it for a moment, and then put it aside. Besides the dagger, it was the only valuable item he had managed to extricate from the bones of his predecessor. Vegeta never could understand why the deceased man had carried it with him, since it didn’t seem to have any use. Perhaps it was an amulet… if it was, it probably hadn’t given its former owner much luck. Vegeta didn’t know what had possessed him to pick up the useless little thing, perhaps because he never could find out what material it was done. 

At last, the most precious items. First he touched a pair of spandex pants and shirt, which once had been navy blue, but the year had given them an undefined tone. Second were an equally pair of off-white pair of boots with metal tips that once had been golden. Originally a pair of white gloves, and Saiyan battle armor composed of a special substance resembling rubber would complete the outfit, but they had gone long time ago. At that time Vegeta finally realized that his clothes were starting to wear out. They obviously wouldn’t last until some ship arrived to rescue him from this blasted small planet. The very idea of loosing even that remnant of his old self had almost panicked him. For a while he tried to replace them with the leathers and furs taken from his kills. However, he never had learned how to properly tan them. Not only did those new “clothes” reek, but also were very hot for the climate. So he decided to line his bed with them, since the nights were a little cold. After that, he experimented with wearing thongs and loincloths. Yet they restrained his movements and were very tickly, not to mention that he was as unprotected with them as if he wore nothing. Besides, it was ridiculous to display modesty in a place where there was no one else but mindless animals that didn’t give a shit about the sight of his dangly bits! 

Almost with affection, he unfolded the pants and shirt. An unpleasant odor emanated from them, but Vegeta hardly noticed it. He felt a strong, unbidden desire to wear them, despite the smell. Just for a few moments, to remember who he was. A stupid act, but… Those clothes gave him so many memories--- none of them actually pleasant, but now they looked bitterly sweet. How many times he had complained of the chains that bound him to his damned lord? He had been far freer then than he was now. 

With abrupt movements, he folded the clothes and put them back in the hole along with the ball. After finishing piling the rocks, he marched out of the cave, and then picked up the knife as he passed. He didn't stop until he found a clearing containing a giant waterfall. It was the only thing on the planet that Vegeta didn't hate. Initially, he used to stalk his prey there when they came to quench their thirst, but soon he started catching himself coming there just to sit and meditate. This place gave him something he never possessed in his former life. It gave him peace. 

Vegeta jumped on a rock on the middle of the river, right where the water fell, and closed his eyes almost blissfully at the sensation of fresh water on his heated skin. He tossed his head to one side then the other swinging his long hair and sending drops all over. For a long time he stood there even after all blood and dirt had been washed out. Then, he picked up the knife and sat on one rock near the earth to shave. Vegeta rarely used the dagger, preferring his bare hands, but occasionally, it was useful to slice a piece of meat, and especially to shave. How ironic. The sucker that had been killed before his arrival had probably killed to have that knife. But here, it was as worthless as langozaur poop. This place transformed a treasure into an ordinary razor blade... and it changed a Saiyan prince, an elite warrior and victor of countless battles, into an insignificant, naked savage.

Unconsciously, the tip of the dagger penetrated his cheek. A tiny blood drop sprouted. The Saiyan lowered his hand, and stared the bloody tip of the weapon. Luthanium could cut even Saiyan's skin... perhaps maybe to penetrate though ribbons of muscle and flesh, right to the heart...

Screaming horribly, he turned around and tossed the knife away. It lodged itself in a rock, just as easily as if it were butter. Yet Vegeta didn't see that. He was too busy climbing the rocks besides the waterfall, using as much strength as he could. Deliberately he chose the sharpest boulders to step or lean on, not caring about the bloody stains he left behind. The waterfall plunged down a hundred-foot fall. While a normal being required roughly two days to climb it and they would be exhausted when they finished it, but Vegeta wasn't even panting when he reached the top.

He stood at the top of the rock, and stared at the vision in front of him. From up there, he could see the rainforest spreading, like a green sea... and the mountains, far beyond. This place was both his domain and his prison. 

The sun was setting. It marked the end of one more senseless day much like the one before, and the one before that. Until the cycle finally and mercifully finished. Such a thing could take years, centuries... even he didn't know how his people's maximum life span. Saiyans could live much longer than common mortals of other races could, but they were usually short-lived because of their bloodthirsty behavior.

A death in battle... the best death for a Saiyan. Even that was denied to him. The only death he could have on this miserable world was at the hand of one of those laughable beasts, what was less than shameful. 

He looked down. A fall like that perhaps could end this all... he thought. Unfortunately he would probably end up with lots of broken bones, and, perhaps starve in extreme pain when he couldn’t move. Another alternative was to throw himself in the river and drown, but that was even worse than stabbing himself. The only forms of suicide considered acceptable for a Saiyan were either to explode in an onslaught of energy that simultaneously destroyed his enemies or simply to bury his hand in his chest. He had heard of a few cases of such rituals in his childhood, relegated for Saiyans exiled in dishonor. This was their method of cleansing themselves of their infamy, while regaining a bit of pride. Yet he no longer could use ki.

He was trapped here forever, with no escape. It could take years for someone to arrive, if that ever happened. If the day did come he'd be far too old and weak to take any benefit from rescue. He had no clothes, no power, and no dignity. Absolutely nothing. Freeza had thought of everything. He would eventually go insane, and kill himself, as the last step of his degradation. Already he was going crazy… 

"Freeza!" he screamed to the air. His voice was strangled by despair, but also with a newfound energy. 

"You may have taken everything from me, but you can't make me kill myself! Are you listening, you coward, son-of-a-bitch? If you want me dead, you'll have to kill me YOURSELF!" His fist rose in a useless curse because the architect responsible for his torment was light years away, completely unreachable.

Suddenly overcome with a wave of exhaustion, he collapsed. Facedown he sprawled on the cold rock, oblivious to the small tears that for the first time spilled from his eyes.


	2. We´re Not Alone in the Universe

**We´re not Alone in the Universe**

  
  
The distant, muffled bellowing broke the peaceful silence which only the soft murmur of the ship devices dared to interrupt - until now. Within a matter of seconds, the bellowing grew stronger and stronger, turning into an enraged scream that seemed to cause the face of the walls to vibrate, even from the place they were seated. The scream was followed by a string of colorful curses mixed with what seemed like stuttering apologies in another voice. A new sound, like the clattering of pans, added to the din, while the stuttered excuses, in their turn, changed into yelps of pain. The two little warriors remained a few moments with their eyes closed, but, as much as they tried, it was clear that their concentration was lost. The bald one was the first to open his eyes, resignedly. He wasn't much taller than his five-year-old companion; at the first sight someone could easily mistake him for another child, but he was actually an adult man.  
  
"It’s hopeless, Gohan," he sighed, as the black-haired boy opened his eyes, too. "We'll have to wait until they finish this new fight, before we can start to train again."  
  
' _And then we'll only have a few minutes to train before they´ll start to fight again,'_  he added in mentally, but didn't voice the thought.  
  
Gohan was likewise frustrated, but his expression showed more confusion than annoyance.  
  
"I wish they could fight in their minds like us," he said. "That would be much quieter. I can’t understand why Oolong so badly needs to see women without their clothes. Do you think that he wants to make sure that they’re really women, Mr. Krillin? I heard Master Roshi say that Daddy used to do that when he was young."  
  
Five years old or not, Gohan was really Goku´s son. The serious, inquiring tone used by the boy just increased the hilarity of the question, and it was in vain that Krillin tried to suppress a laugh.  
  
"Uh, no. Oolong doesn’t… well, he’s pretty aware who’s a woman and who’s not, no doubt about that," he managed to say, between giggles. The boy's round-wide, innocent eyes reminded Krillin of himself, and he struggled to regain some composure. "That's all I can tell you," he said, inhaling a few calming breaths. "Please don’t ask me more about that. You mother would kill me if I explained it to you further."  
  
Gohan looked even more puzzled than before; however, any further questions he could ask were forgotten, because at the next second a small gray rabbit burst into the control room, his big ears flapping behind him. As he ran towards the boys, his soaked fur left a trail of small puddles. He screeched to a halt within mere inches of Gohan, the animal’s small body heaving at every breath he gave.  
  
"H-help! Help me! Bulma´s having a tantrum!" he managed to articulate.  
  
"And what have you done now to make her throw a tantrum?" Krillin asked cynically. In response, the rabbit scowled and shook himself, tossing the water off his body and over the two small warriors, who winced and yelped in protest. With a puff of smoke, the rabbit vanished to be replaced by a chubby pig clad in t-shirt and green pants with suspenders, but still with big, floppy ears. He gave a last shake as he glared towards Krillin.  
  
"Nothing! Why do you always blame me for everything that happens in this ship?" his voice had a tone of outraged innocence.  
  
Krillin ignored that.  
  
"So why are you all wet?" he smirked, rubbing his arms to get them dry. "You were spying on Bulma in the shower again, that's obvious."  
  
Oolong glanced nervously over his shoulder and toward the door he had entered.  
  
“Details, guys, details! C´mon, are you going to help me or not?”  
  
Just at that moment, they heard the sound of wet footsteps approaching. Without expecting any one's response, Oolong instantaneously turned into a fly and ran, err, flew off, so fast that the boys couldn't see the direction he had taken. A few seconds later, Bulma stormed into the room. Krillin and Gohan almost jumped out of their skins when they saw her.  
  
Her body was still dripping wet from the shower, but it was decently covered by a knee-length pink robe, whose shoulders were already soaked with the water that fell from her damp, limp hair. Actually, she wouldn’t be a frightening vision by herself, if it wasn’t for the fact her blue eyes were sparkling in fury and that her right hand held a huge frying pan, which the crew suspected was probably a present from Chichi.  
  
"Allright! Where is he? Don't try to cover him up, boys! I warned Oolong that I wouldn't let it go next time. Can't a lady take her shower in peace?"  
  
“Lady?” Krillen echoed cynically. Bulma threw him a glare that caused both the boys to shrink.  
  
“We don´t know where Oolong is now.” Gohan blurted out. “He turned into a fly and disappeared.”  
  
Nodding understandingly, Bulma simply crossed her arms and smiled.  
  
"That's allright. He has been transformed for a while, so his 15 minutes must be done now. And this is the only way out of this room, so he'll have to go through this door, sooner or later. I'll just have to stand here and wait..."  
  
She was cut off at the end of her phrase by a low grunt. The trio turned their heads around to see smoke quickly appearing from under the control panel and a small red, scowling rocket flying toward the exit door, almost knocking Bulma out of the way. However, it had barely reached the threshold when the puff of smoke happened again to reveal Oolong hovering for a mid-second in the air with a frustrated expression before landing on the floor with a huff.  
  
Three loud bangs echoed throughout the whole ship, and it probably would have been heard outside, if it wasn't the vacuum of outer space. Krillin and Gohan stood still, both feeling a mixture of fear and amusement on their faces as they watched Oolong rub the bumps on his aching head.  
  
"Next time you try replacing my bath sponge I'll throw you in the toilet bowl and flush you down! I'm not kidding." Bulma threatened as she turned around and strode regally toward the door, one hand modestly clutching shut her robe and the other still holding the now misshapen frying pan.  
  
"I was just trying to make you feel better!" the pig bellowed at her retreating figure."You should be glad that at least I still see you as a beautiful woman, since the rest of universe doesn´t!"  
  
Krillen and Gohan giggled at this. Very recently, they had visited Sheezoo, a very primitive planet, in search of the one-star dragonball. The precious item, however, happened to be among the most precious adornments of one prominent and brawny golden-skinned warrior - a great type of man, actually, despite of his baldness. Bulma had tried to flirt with him in order to get the sphere - that’s what she had said- but the man had reacted with horror, at the 'pale, hairy, two-breasted scarecrow' - as their electronic translators had registered. In the end, Gohan had won the dragon ball by defeating the warrior in a duel, but Bulma had spent three days moping around and mumbling about stupid blind aliens.  
  
At Oolong's words, she immediately stopped dead in her tracks, turning on her heels to tap angrily a bare, humid foot.  
  
"I am a beautiful girl!" she bellowed. "And the Sheezojins are not the entire universe. Only because the few members of a small planet have some twisted notions of beauty, that doesn't mean that all the aliens we'll met will think like that," she paused, then barreled on with a smile. "Besides, remember that there are lots of different cultures spread throughout the universe, many of which we have no idea about. So it's no wonder that some alien races have a different way of thinking about what is beautiful and what is not."  
  
Oolong's smirk grew wider.  
  
"Yeah, that must be quite a comfort. You didn't seem to think like this when those people thought that even Krillin was prettier than you. Those amazons even wanted to fight for the privilege of having him for their harems!"  
  
“HEY!” Krillin blushed slightly at that, but smirked. “Not my fault if someone finally notices my “beaute male”…”  
  
He didn´t finish speaking however, for their attention was diverted by a scratching noise coming from Bulma´s side. She had given them her back and was perusing through a box of capsules. The trio gasped as they stood paralyzed in anticipated horror.  
  
"Easy, Bulma, you don’t need to do this… we were just kidding!” Krillin stuttered.  
  
"Not fair! I can't transform yet!" said the pig in terror as Bulma tossed a capsule down. However, instead of the bombs, bazooka or whatever weapons they had figured out, it revealed a bucket filled with water, a scrubber and a few rags. Calmly, Bulma picked up the cleaning supplies before turning again and walking towards her friends.  
  
"Allright," the angry scientist snapped as she handed each of them one of the contents of the capsule. "If you have time enough to invent pranks and no-fun jokes, you have enough time to clean all this mess." She gave a stern nod towards the puddles created by Oolong and herself, which were spread throughout the control room and the hallways. Regally, Bulma turned again on her heels and marched towards the door. Before leaving the room, she halted on the threshold and turned her head to look at the trio over her shoulder ,"When I come back, it'll be better if everything is shining." And with this, she finally left.  
  
"We have nothing to do with that!" Krillin bellowed after her, before grudgingly grabbing the scrubber. “I hope you're happy now,” he interjected at the culprit of their situation. Oolong, however, looked revolted, rather than showing any sign of shame or guilt.  
  
"The only thing that’ll make me happy is to go back to Earth!” he sputtered. "Bulma didn't have to be so cross; she’s supposed to be grateful to me for having paid her some attention. I have nothing to do with this mission of yours, and I wasn't even allowed to bring a few 'innocent' magazines to distract myself."  
  
"You can borrow my books, if you like," offered Gohan as he knelt to dry the puddles with a cloth.  
  
Oolong shrugged off the offering with a wrinkled nose.  
  
"No, thanks. The only book that could actually interest me would be one of female anatomy, and very specifically. After all these weeks seeing nothing but butt-faced aliens, I'm starting to forget what a girl's body looks like. When we'll become to Earth, I'll probably fall for the ugliest witch that'll appear in front of me, and I'll think she's a goddess!"  
  
Krillin shook his head. Oolong was definitely hopeless. In at least one thing he was right, however _he never should have joined them in the trip. After the Saiyans' attack, when Mr. Popo showed Bulma the spaceship that had taken Kami-Sama to Earth, they had discussed about who should go to save their planet from the grim destiny traced by Turles.  
  
At Bulma's dismay, she was the first one to be chosen, because nobody else would be able to fix the ship if it happened to break during the trip. But then, she protested she couldn't go alone and pointed to Krillin, one of the few survivors of the terrible battle. Goku and Yamcha were terribly injured and the rest of the Earth warriors were dead. However, Kameroshi butted in that only one warrior wouldn't be enough to protect her against the dangers they would probably find in space, and volunteered to go with them. His leering eyes fixed on Bulma through his black glasses clearly showed that his real intentions weren't as noble as his words. In despair, Bulma had glanced around until she spotted Oolong. Probably she had thought the little pig was the lesser of two evils, for at least she could bully him in order to keep his hands off her. With Kameroshi, that would be more difficult. In Krillin's opinion, however, that was trading the kettle for the bottle. When Gohan begged to go with them, instead, both Bulma and the shapeshifter breathed a sigh of relief, but then, Chichi was revolted that the pig was low enough to allow a innocent, 'helpless' child to go in his place, and there had been no way except for Oolong to go, too. A decision that didn't make anybody happy.  
  
The choice of the crew reminded Krillin´s of the reason for their trip.  
  
“One thing I must agree with you,” he sighed. It´ll be a great relief when everything is finished. I don´t even want to figure out what´ll happen if we won´t be able to gather the black star dragonballs before the time is over.”  
  
At this, a saddened look appeared in Gohan´s chubby baby-face.  
  
“Pity that those Namek dragonballs were used months ago. They had three wishes, instead of one, like the Earth balls. We could have used the second wish to bring Mr.Piccolo, Mr. Tenshinhan and Chauzou back.”  
  
Krillin turned his head to look at him. During the short time they had fought the Saiyans together, he had grown attached to Goku´s son, and he knew how much the boy missed his stern sensei. Gohan´s face had lit up when the Ancient told them about the two wishes… just to have his smile fall in, when he learned the two wishes had already made five months ago. Touched by the gang´s disappointment and despaired by that news, the Namekians had told them about the black star dragonballs. It was their only hope of saving Earth. However, those spheres granted only one wish.  
  
“Yeah, but remember what Guru said… they promised that, within four months they will bring our friends back. So you will see Piccolo again, anyway!”  
  
”It´s true!” Gohan laughed, his face lighting up.  
  
“Eww, I don´t know why you like that green ugly guy so much,” Oolong shuddered. “You should have asked them to use the second wish to make Yamcha´s face back, too.”  
  
A guilty silence fell over the control room. They had forgotten the worst victim of the Saiyan battle.  
  
“Hate to admit it, but that´s true. I had forgotten that,” Krillin said as he looked down at the metal floor. And I am the one who, of all people, should have remembered that, in the first place! he thought guiltily. He would never forget those terrible moments after they landed with Bulma´s airplane to retrieve the corpses of their friends killed by Nappa, the giant Saiyan. Krillin had been the first one to get close to Yamcha. To his surprise, when he touched the body of his friend, the little monk felt a slight movement. Yamcha was still alive! Krillen let out a happy squeal that drew everyone´s attention. And then, as Bulma flew towards them with Mutenroshi and Master Karin on her toes, Krillen turned the body upwards. The trio froze instantaneously and let out horrified gasps. For minutes that seemed like a lifetime, nobody said or did anything. Then, Bulma´s face went white and she fell forward before anybody could say anything, without a yell or word.  
  
Apparently, Yamcha had managed to struggle free from the saibaman's embrace and had backed away from it a few seconds before the vegetable monster exploded. However, he was still too close to not be affected by the explosion. Half of part of his face had been torn apart. He was now in a coma, in the same hospital as Goku, but nobody was sure if he would live. Master Karin had promised that everything would be all right as soon as he could get senzus for the two injured men. That had seemed to lift Bulma´s spirit a little, and throughout the next few days she apparently had returned to her cheerful usual self, but now, thinking back, she seemed to avoid the matter. A wave of guilt washed over him. During the entire trip, he had lamented several times mentally that they had to take Bulma with them. The young scientist managed to be even worse of a burden than Oolong, with her constant whining and bitching. She was always getting in trouble and needing to be rescued. Nothing of this was new, but honestly, she was managing to be worse than her usual self.  
  
“But… Master Karin promised that Yamcha-san´s face will be good as new when he´ll eat the senzu!” Gohan said.  
  
"Oh come on kid, get real. There's LIMITS to everything! I was looking at the cat as he said that… his forehead was dripping with sweat! How can we be sure that the sensu would even work for..."  
  
“Don´t listen to him, Gohan!” Krillin cut off the pig´s rambling. “I believe in Master Karin´s abilities. It´s natural that we´re all nervous _ especially Bulma. And if the senzu won´t work, we may ask Shen-long when we´ll come back to Earth. Everything will be allright, you´ll see,” he forced a smile.  
  
“You must have caught Goku´s optimistic virus, all of you,” Oolong shook his head, then shrugged. “Well, how much longer till the next dragonball?”  
  
”We must be close, by now, since the last time I checked. Gohan, may I see the dragon radar?” the monk asked, only to receive silence as a response. Krillin turned around to see Goku´s son staring absently at outer space through the window.  
  
“What´s wrong? Did you see something funny?” the little man asked with concern.  
  
“No… It´s just that I feel… I feel funny… like if we´re not alone.”  
  
***  
  
Vegeta frowned and shut his eyes even tighter as he shrank and embraced himself in a fetal position, searching for any last remnants of his corporal heat. That blasted Freeza, he had locked him naked into one of his ice cellars again! The last time that had happened, he had been taken out of there just in time before he risked losing his members, but his tail had to be cut off. However, this time, he didn´t believe he would be so lucky. Vegeta squeezed his eyes even more tightly shut, not wanting to look at his hands or feet. In his mind, he already could see his fingers and toes growing dark with gangrene…  
  
His face was leaning against a rough, irregular surface, which was nothing like the floor of the ice cellar. His eyes snapped open just to blink instantaneously because of the water that didn´t stop entering into them. Slowly, he sat, brushing his face with one hand, feeling the weight of something clammy that stuck onto his back - his own hair, soaked and heavy with water. He took one breath then another, and blinked again, as his thoughts slowly reorganized themselves in his mind. Gathering courage, he raised his hands towards his face, to stare at them, as raindrops incessantly drummed against their healthy, rosy skin. He glanced hurriedly at his feet, though in the back of his mind he already knew it was unnecessary: he wasn't in Freeza's cage, but on the same, abandoned planet he had been for the last number of years!  
  
Vegeta raised his head, feeling the rain against his face, his eyes almost closed and no smile on his lips, despite his great relief. He was naked, yes, and cold, too, but that was because of the rain, and not because of the tortures of the insane half-lizard. He was in an open space, stuck forever on this planet, yet somehow free, for since the beginning of his long exile he never had seen the surroundings of a cellar again. Well, at least there was something good in this wretched situation. But... what use that could have for him?  
  
Lightenings flashed through the sky, making him blink for a few moments. How long had he remained up there, at the top of the waterfall, after having allowed himself to drown in despair and exhaustion? As he slowly stood up, a wave of shame and self-disdain swept his mind. How could he have allowed himself to break down like that? Even if he had lost everything, he was still Vegeta. Even if he had to spend one million years in this forsaken place, no one or nothing could take that from him.  
  
The thought, however, reminded him of his lost hope of ever leaving, and he felt his stomach sinking. Perhaps, the former prince thought absently as he looked at the landscape below, he should try to see what was behind those mountains. Nothing guaranteed that he was the only intelligent form of life living in this world… anyway, to sit here forever wouldn´t take him anywhere.  
  
Suddenly, he sneezed. That wasn´t the best moment for existential thoughts. He could make his plans later, in a dry place.  
  
He had started his way down the valley, when his sensitive ears caught something above the rumble of the thunder and the hissing of the rain. A sound that was initially weak, but was gradually and ominously growing stronger with each passing second. Oh no.  
  
Vegeta gave a quick glance above his shoulder a split second before starting to run, as fast as the wretched wind allowed him. Because of the blasted rain, the river had been growing thicker, until its waters could no longer be restrained by its banks and invaded the shores, smashing down everything in the way. Vegeta had seen lots of floods like that. Usually that didn’t worry him, because his cave was in a higher place and out of reach from the hungry waters. He had even taken advantage of the floods to get his meat. However, that was the first time he was directly in the way of the danger. Damn it! Why he hadn´t stayed up there?  
  
A group of trees was getting closer . His only way was to climb one of the trees, and hope that it would be strong enough to resist the force of the water. His chances were minimal, the flood was too close, but like always, he was confident. Vegeta could run faster than most of the animals. Frequently, he had caught small saurians in the run, before pulling them by their tails.  
  
But he wasn't fast enough.  
  
A wave of muddy water hit his back with the crushing impact of a dinosaur's tail, taking the air of his lungs and throwing him face-down. In a matter of seconds, the brown water surrounded him before Vegeta had time enough to jump on his feet again. Gulping water, he still braced, in order to try and keep his head out of the waters, but the waves balanced him back and forth.  
  
Then something hit him on his head.  
  
However, even if he wasn't unconscious, he wouldn't have noticed another thing coming; maybe the thunder and the roar of the flood didn't let him hear. The fact was, he didn't notice the sound announcing the arrival of something that would change the destiny of this small, forsaken planet. Something that he had given up on relying for hope several hours ago.  
  
The sound of a spaceship.


	3. Out of Obligation

**Out of Obligation**  
  
  
  
"I should have allowed Mutenroshi to come with us, instead," Bulma mumbled furiously as she slipped quickly into into a plain, pearl-white pair of cotton panties, with a matching bra before searching for the rest of her clothes in a small closet at the wall. "At least he would be of some use and couldn´t transform into sponges, bath towels, or undergarments."  
  
As if all the danger and concern they had been through weren´t enough, she also had this nuisance to worry about. The beautiful scientist couldn´t even pee once without the feeling that the little pervert was hidden somewhere, peeking in on her. It would be a wonder if when they went back to Earth she wouldn´t be all filled with wrinkles and gray hairs.  
  
"I should have allowed him to bring his damn porn magazines. At least he would have other girls to ogle about;even if not as pretty as me. But here out on space, I´m the only human woman around, with hair and two breasts," she concluded proudly as she finished pulling on the black spandexes that had become her uniform since the trip had started. Save for a few orange, baggy vests to wear over them--and undergarments of course --she hadn´t brought anything else to wear. Rather she had been thinking they´d would spend most of time in spacesuits. Sighing, she pulled a vest from the closet and slammed shut its door with a push.  
  
It was all Chichi´s fault, with her stupid idea of a baby-sitter. Ha! Oolong wasn´t even able to take care of himself, let alone of a kid that was far much smarter and stronger than he was. Only Gohan´s mother didn´t see things that way. Bulma wondered if all normal mothers were so paranoid about their kids (her own mother couldn´t be exactly classified as model, so Bulma didn´t exactly have a standard to define what normal was). Fortunately, she´d planned to never have children.  
  
Unbidden, the memories of her last visit to the hospital where Goku and Yamcha had been committed floated back into her mind. All she wanted there was a nice conversation with to Goku, hoping that his optimism and comprehension swept her fears away. Unfortunately Chichi had found her presence the perfect opportunity to read for her a "small" list of recommendations about Gohan´s needs and duties. Actually, she had planned that lecture for Oolong, but the reluctant baby-sitter was nowhere to be found  robably hidden somewhere and turned into something microscopic.  
  
101; He must eat vegetables every day, at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Usually at breakfast I mix them in our miso-shiru. It would be good if you could do the same, so he won´t miss it. 102, He has to go to bed ALWAYS at 8:00 P.M, after having brushed his teeth. 103 ; He never can be allowed to talk to strangers."  
  
"But Chichi..." Goku said from the mechanical cocoon in which he had been enclosed to be kept from moving. "Everybody they'll meet in this trip will be a stranger, so Gohan won´t have anybody to talk but Bulma, Krillin and Oolong! People in other planets will think he´s mute or rude."  
  
Chichi carried on as she hadn´t heard him, "...I hope I haven´t forgotten anything. Ah, here's the list of the books he must study during the trip, so he won't be too late when you'll come back to Earth." She unrolled another piece of paper, slightly longer than the recommendations list.  
  
"No fairy tales or bed time books? Or toys? We're plenty of space in the ship," Bulma asked sarcastically, but once again Chichi didn´t respond. It wasn´t clear if the young mother was truly absorbed at in the list or if she was deliberately ignoring any opinion different from hers about how Gohan supposed to be raised. Her frown deepened as she scanned the two long paper sheets for the millionth time. If she forgot to add anything to them, the results could be tragic.  
  
  
  
A deep sigh came from Goku´s side of the room.  
  
"I wish I could go with you, Bulma," he said quietly.  
  
Chichi tilted her head back and gave him a crossed look, for the first time acknowledging his presence since she had entered the room.  
  
"Me, too," she snapped harshly. "So Gohan wouldn't have to sacrifice himself once again to fix the troubles caused by you." she growled out before turning her attention to Bulma again, but the young scientist noticed a hurt look flashing on into Goku's eyes. She could understand how difficult it was for Chichi to be separated from her only child again after that long, agonizing year wondering if the poor boy was dead or alive. However, her friend could be more sensitive. How dared she to talk about sacrifice when Goku had given on his own life to save their son and had almost been killed a million of times for the sake of the others?  
  
"I'd happily change places with you, Goku, if I could, she said, earning a smile from her injured friend.  
  
  
  
Chichi spun her head around to face the older woman, her eyes softening instantaneously.  
  
  
  
"We know that, Bulma," she said reassuringly. "Both you and Puar have been through a hell because of Yamcha. Nobody deserves that. I know how hard and how painful it must for you to be separated from him for so long, without even knowing if he´ll still be alive when you´ll come back to Earth..."   
  
Bulma paled visibly, lamenting that the Ox King wasn´t there to shut the mouth of his stupid daughter; well, at least to try any way. Yet they were alone, the three in that room. Although Goku noticed her distressed look and opened his mouth to ask his wife to stop, Chichi carried on, completely unaware of the discomfort she had created.   
  
"But, even though you´re so busy with the preparations for the trip, I think you should save more time to spend with Yamcha, even if he´s still unconscious. After all, you´re going to marry someday. Look at me, for example! God knows how hard is to be Goku´s wife. But I never neglect my wifely duties, as hard as they can be," she let out a long-suffering sigh, her eyes closing proudly at her self-sacrifice.   
  
She opened them again just to meet Bulma´s own blue orbs throwing sparkles of pure anger. Her body trembled visibly, while both her teeth and fists were clenched tight in a vain attempt to hold back her increasing rage. Chichi´s eyebrows lifted in surprise, but before she could say anything, Bulma widened out her own mouth in a grimace that make her teeth look like a beast´s.   
  
"You´re hardly anyone to teach others how to be a good wife!"she roared. "At least I never jumped over Yamcha´s injuried body at the battlefield, or blamed him for things that were completely out of his hands!"   
  
With that, she turned on her heels and darted out of the room, before the wide-mouthed Ox Princess could react. Mainly, before the couple could see the tears in Bulma´s eyes. The same tears that now threatened to spill just did so at that exact moment, as she stared at her own distress in the mirror.  
  
"Damn it! from all the things why did I have to remember this, specifically?"  
  
As horrible as it sounded, Bulma frequently thought that it would have been far much better if Yamcha had died. At least he would have joined Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu in heaven to train and improve his fighting techniques, which never had been that good to start with. He would never be in a coma in a hospital, only to regain consciousness just to be kept under the sedation of drugs. So much so that the pain wouldn´t make him crazy, even putting him at risk of becoming a junkie. Most importantly, the ones who loved him would be of course grieving, but wouldn’t go through the agony of watching him in such a horrible situation while remembering how he used to be.   
  
 _"Yamcha... you were so beautiful..._  
  
  
By the time when the ship was finally ready to go , Chichi had 'forgiven' Bulma´s outburst, by associating it to the tension and stress her poor friend was dealing with. The young housewife hadn´t any way of knowing that her comments had touched a secret wound in Bulma´s insides; a wound hidden deeply but kept open and throbbing with guilt. The young scientist never had worried too much about whatever people thought about her, but this was very different. She wondered if the rest of her friends thought the same as Chichi _ that she had been neglecting Yamcha. It hadn´t been completely an excuse, she really had been busy restoring Kamisama´s ship and acknowledging the preparations for the trip. But, the main reason of her visits to Yamcha being so few was that it was a torture to enter his room to see him covered with tubes and bandages like a Frankenstein´s creature. Also how difficult it was to see Puar´s loyal, scrawny form hovering around the bed, a shadow of his cheerful former self. His devotion to Yamcha had touched and worried them all, but was also somehow unnerving for Bulma. There were moments where she felt like chocking the little cat, for whenever he looked at her she felt like he was censoring her for not being so dedicated to Yamcha. For not standing there the whole time and forget to eat and sleep, at the point that Bulma and Chichi had to fight to shove some food into Puar´s throat, or he would have starved. He was a constant reminder of her secret guilt. And yet, she couldn´t help but feeling the way she did.  
  
Karin had reassured them that Yamcha´s face would be perfect again as soon as he ate the senzu bean. However, as much as Bulma wished to believe that, inwardly she was as pessimist as Oolong, despite her optimistic façade. It was all well and good that a magic bean could make wounds stop bleeding and broken bones, but could it also restore torn flesh and skin?  
  
If they didn´t... Plastic Surgery wasn´t well developed enough on Earth yet, even the best doctors in the world wouldn´t be able to restore such a destroyed face in a perfect way. With luck, it would become, at leas, functional, one might say. He would be able to eat without tubes and talk. Perhaps even the vision in his right eye could be restored. Yet, he would need physiotherapy and specially, a place to stay, where he could receive as much love and care as he could. And he would need her, Bulma.  
  
As much as the rest of his friends took on, the main responsibilities would rest on her shoulders. They were already doing so, in fact; it was the Capsule Corp. that was paying all the treatment given to Yamcha (Ox King was paying Goku´s ). This was a duty that Bulma would embrace with all her heart, without any shadow of a doubt. Although she no longer saw Yamcha as her boyfriend, she´d always care about him, just like she cared about Goku. This was the major problem. It didn´t matter that they had split up before the fight with the Saiyans, because according to everyone she was still commited to Yamcha. And now that he was in such a terrible situation, everybody certainly expected that she would officialized their union to him once for all, as soon as he would recover. Ultimately making certain that she married him.  
  
It´s so easy to judge someone when you´re not in their shoes! Kindness and generosity were supposed to be things given spontaneously, not out of obligation. If you sacrificed yourself for someone, you´re automatically a saint, a wonderful person. Unfortunately it never occurs to anybody that, sometimes you haven´t another choice, because if you don´t play Miss Selfless, then you´ll automatically be considered a selfish, inhuman, complete monster! People´s minds always worked between 8 and 80. That would undoubtedly be what would happen to her, Bulma-- if she broke up with Yamcha or fell for another man now.  
  
  
"I really shouldn´t think of that. Must have faith. If senzu beans won´t work, the dragonballs will do the trick it. We´ll have them back on Earth when the Namekians resuscitate Piccolo, they promised us that. Ooh! I should have asked them to heal Yamcha, too."  
  
Bulma blinked quickly, as if she feared that her image in on the mirror was replaced by the face present on her nightmares: the hole in the right cheek exposing white teeth and red gum, in deep contrast to the destroyed skin of the borders. She closed her eyes and looked again, to see her own, anxious face. Damn it!  
  
Very recently, it had started plaguing her dreams again, after so long. Probably because of so many empty days without no any searching at all. All the danger and distress they had went through at their former quest for the black star dragon balls, and the planet Namek before that, had at least served as a distraction from her personal problems. Yet now, despite the crew´s attempts to keep in good humor, the tension could be occasionally noticed in their eyes. Gohan could sometimes be heard whining for his mom, dad or Mr. Piccolo when he slept, and Oolong had started stalking Bulma, no longer caring if he would be spanked or not. And she...she was gradually growing crazy! Everybody couldn´t wait to see the mission finished and come back to Earth at once.  
  
 _"And yet, despite wishing that as much as the others, I catch myself dreading the moment we´ll come back to Earth"_  she thought, looking tensely at the mirror again.  
  
A fist beating on the door brought her back to reality. Bulma took a deep, calming breath before opening it.  
  
  
"Have you already finished the cleaning you were supposed to do?" she practically barked, even before even looking who was waiting outside, as if Bulma feared that the person out there had heard her musings.  
  
The messenger, who happened to be Gohan, took a cautious step back.  
  
"Uh, yes..." he said tentatively, like wondering what he had done wrong now. "Krillin told me to call you," his timid expression was quickly replaced by an enthusiatic smile. "We found something you must see!"  
  
"And what is it... oof!" Bulma gasped as Gohan took seized her hand and hurried back to the bridge. She was forced to bend over because of his shorter size, as she stumbled to match his pace. In a few moments, they had traversed crossed the short hallway that led to the control room. At the sound of their steps, Krillin quickly turned at to them, his face beaming as much as Gohan´s, as he clutched the dragon radar in his hands.  
  
"WE FOUND IT!!!" he yelled with an enthusiasm that matched Gohan´s, as he practically scampered towards them. "We found the last black star dragonballs, Bulma!"  
  
"Hey, wait a minute. We still have four dragonballs to search for, remember?" she said a little sceptically as the monk handed her the radar. Suspiciously, Bulma frowned at her small invention, only to wide her eyes almost instantaneously.  
  
"It´s... it´s not possible!" she gasped, staring at the arrow that signaled no. 3 at the screen. Then she noticed something else.  
  
"There´s another dragonball, here,” she pointed at a signal no. 1, at the extreme point where the no. four was on the grade of the device. "It´s far away from the other three, but all the spheres are in the same planet, no doubt about it."  
  
"Reduce the scale," Krillin said, now in a much calmer tone.  
  
When Bulma did that, the dragon ball coordinates indicated a small, lone planet in front of them. It was an unknown system, with a sun slightly bluish and much farther from its planets than Sun was from Earth _far enough to make life possible under the stronger radiation.  
  
They stared at the planet through the screen of the control panel.  
  
"I never heard of this planet before. It simply doesn´t appear in any of the maps," Bulma said, after a few moments fumbling with the pile of maps they had won on other planets or that she had drawn herself during the trip. "And nobody among all the people we met in our journey ever mentioned it."  
  
"I still think it looks too good to be true," Oolong finally mumbled from his spot. "Remember those two pink aliens we found that pretended to be Namekians to steal our ship? Maybe it´s another bandit trying to trick us."  
  
"That would be too much of a coincidence," Krillin stated. "Those aliens were telepathic, and were trapped in that vortex. There´s no such vortex around here like that now."  
  
"But Oolong has a point," Bulma reasoned. "I´m not saying that it really might be aliens like those guys, or if it´s another trap for us, but someone else might be collecting the dragonballs. Remember that not everyone knows that the Namekians survived to the cataclysm of Namek and moved to another planet. We´d never had found them, if it wasn´t for Kaioh´s help."  
  
At her words, everybody sobered up and started exchanging worried glances among themselves.  
  
"People might think they´re extinct and thus think that the normal dragon balls are no more. That´s probably why they want the black star dragonballs, too. They´re legendary throughout the universe," Gohan added, his worried eyes darting to every one of his friends. "Turles, for example! He could be collecting them, since he couldn´t get the Earth ones because Piccolo-san was murdered," his voice trembled slightly at the last word.  
  
The name of the creature responsible for their trip sent a shiver into everyone´s spines. Oolong looked particulary sick, even he never had been anywhere near the battlefield at that terrible day. How could someone look so much like their friend Goku, who all they loved and trusted, and be so horribly evil and twisted inside?  
  
Finally, Krillin slowly held his head up, a slow, determined expression appearing on his face as he started to talk.  
  
  
  
"But if we don´t go, we´ll never know. Maybe it´s a trick, as Oolong said, and a waste of time. But what if it´s not? The Earth might be doomed just because we didn´t try?"  
  
  
  
Bulma and Gohan nodded in silence at him, the same determined look appearing in their eyes, too. In silence, the bald monk stretched his arm out and offered his hand to them. The first one to put a hand over his was Gohan, then Bulma, and finally Oolong, after receiving a few glares at his hesitation.   
  
"To the unknown planet!" exclaimed Gohan.   
  
"May that be the end of our journey!" Krillin added.   
  
"But not the end of our lives," Oolong finished with a gulp.   
  
Pulling her hand back, Bulma straightened up and put both hands on her hips in a commanding stance.   
  
"All right, let´s stop blabbering and go to your assigned seats. I´m going to tell the computer to land, so it´s better you guys sit tight or you´ll be flattened like pancakes against the floor!"  
  
  
She hadn´t yet finished her phrase and everybody was already strapping their seatbelts, with an ease brought from the practice of so many abrupt landings and taking offs of their female pilot. As Bulma herself settled cosily into her own seat and punch the keys to input the coordinates into the computer, she felt a small chill arise into her stomach, very different from the natural feeling caused by the velocity of the ship going down.  
  
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  
  
Meanwhile, somewhere at the jungle...  
  
"Ugly, isn´t he?" asked a high-pitched voice in a scornful tone.


	4. The Hunted Becomes the Hunter

**The Hunted Becomes the Hunter**   
  
  
_Vegeta’s head jerked upward as his eyes snapped open. Blinking for a few moments, he glared at the inside of his small pod. He couldn't tell exactly what had woken him out of the hibernation. Everything was apparently doing well; the computer worked normally and the pod was going to its destination. So why did he keep feeling like something was wrong?_   
  
_That eerie, uncomfortable feeling had pursued him since he had arrived at the Ice Planet base. The mission hadn't been very harsh, so Vegeta hadn't gained more than a few superficial scratches to which even a recruit wouldn't pay a second thought. A cold shower, a quick meal and a few hours of rest in his bunker were all he needed - after he had presented his routine report, of course. Inwardly, he hoped that Zarbon was too busy now to receive his report and handed the task to any random officer at hand. That snobbish, blue-faced rascal had claimed to know everything about Saiyans, and even looked down on them, although he wasn’t the only one to do that. The three surviving Saiyans, Vegeta especially, were the target of the spite of everyone in Freeza’s quarters that were stronger than or as strong as them. And Zarbon, if possible, could be even harsher than the others, because his insults were more subtle and smarter, thus more difficult to put up with. Vegeta’s only comfort was to know that someday that he personally would put an end on all that._

  
_To his surprise, however, as soon as the prince stepped out of the pod, he was greeted by a couple of soldiers that escorted him to the infirmary, where the doctor in charge told him to undress and step immediately into one of the regeneration tanks. "What’s that for? I’m fine..."  he started, but the doctor just insisted for him to do what he was told, they had orders for such._

  
_Giving a shrug, Vegeta obeyed. A few minutes of relaxing wouldn’t do any harm, anyway. As soon as the liquid in the tank was above his head, a slow dizziness started overpowering his senses, surprising Vegeta slightly. Hmm...he hadn’t imagined he was so tired! Well, some rest wouldn’t do any harm at all..._   
_It probably took him just a few minutes, but it could have been hours as well._

  
_Vegeta had just finished dressing and was about to leave the infirmary when he almost collided with the exact person he wished not to see that day.  Oh joy._   
_"Why such a hurry, Vegeta?" Zarbon asked, his eyes cold with disdain as always. "For all I know, you don’t have anything important to do."_

  
_"What do you want?" the prince spat, holding himself to not push the girly pansy out of his way._

  
_"Master Freeza has assigned a new mission for you. You must go immediately to the planet Nutek. Your pod is waiting at Pier 8."_   
  
_Vegeta received the news with a raise of his eyebrow._

  
_"I just came back here and he sends me away without even wanting to listen my last report?" he asked with scornfulness "He must be really sick of my face!"_   
_Zarbon frowned his beautiful forehead, his eyes narrowing with anger. But after a few seconds, his expression softened a bit, as if he remembered something pleasant._

  
_"It’s not for us to question what the Great Freeza’s purposes are. Just go to Nutek and wait for further orders." He whirled on his heels, making his white cape fan with the movement, and then made a pause to glare upon his shoulder at the small Saiyan. “Perhaps if you respected your superiors, you would have more free time to rest."_

  
_Planet Nutek, Sector 40F. Vegeta shook his head mentally as he strode through the hallways. He had been to Nutek a couple of times. It belonged to a new system recently discovered by the scout parties. The immense planet was rich in varied natural resources and precious minerals, like lanthanum, and its inhabitants had advanced technology. For all those reasons, Freeza decided to spare the planet instead of having it cleaned and sold, like usual. Instead, he had sent the Ginyu Troops to terminate most of the population, and enslave the survivors -most of them scientists and technicians, so he could make good use of their knowledge; although Freeza insisted it was just his 'generosity'. “The same generosity he gave to me”, Vegeta mumbled to himself. That was just a contradiction. A bunch of suckers who let themselves be enslaved in order to have their pathetic lives spared didn’t deserve any pity, in his opinion._  
He wondered why in hell he had been assigned to that place, out of all the planets in the universe. According to the latest reports he had overheard-most of the info in the quarters was obtained by gossip or overhearing-the planet was calm now, after the Ginyu team had suffocated the last remaining focuses of rebellion and just waited for permission to leave. Perhaps they were getting bored and had asked Freeza to send him, so they could have some poor sucker to torture by forcing him _to watching their stupid choreographies... that would be very like them. Nah, that was silly. Freeza wouldn’t trouble himself by sending anyone for such a futile thing, as much as he spoiled the Ginyus. It was more probable that horned worm wanted Vegeta to do some bureaucratic service. The thought made the prince cringe inside. Freeza didn’t thrive only upon fear and torture to get submission from his subordinates, he had more subtle ways, too. Like humiliating a subordinate by assigning him tasks below his position; that was very like an Icejin._

  
_But the main point, the one that intrigued him most, was why they had him wasting time in the regeneration tank, if they were so hurried for him to go. He wasn’t even seriously injured, and Freeza had never bothered himself with not sending a soldier to war because he wasn’t in perfect health._   
_Well, soon he would know. Nutek wasn’t that far._

  
_As Vegeta cozened the best as he could into the small pod, he sent a brief message via scouter to Nappa about his mysterious new mission. His former bodyguard and nanny was as shocked as him, and also disappointed. So, their next reunion was cancelled? Vegeta just smirked as he reassured him. It was all right, they just would have to be patient and wait a little more before they met again, in order to keep working on their secret plan._   
_Thinking about these events now, Vegeta couldn’t remember anything after his talk with Nappa. Had he slept immediately after the transmission? Funny, he wasn’t supposed to have entered into the hibernation state so quickly, especially after having a good nap in the regeneration tank. Besides, the trip to Nutek wasn’t so long that it required hibernation._

  
_Absently, he peered through the only window of his pod. Though it didn’t offer much in terms of vision, he was sure that wasn’t the Sector 40F, and a check at the communication screen and then at the holographic map confirmed that.  His eyes widened as the coordinates flickered before him at the small black screen. He couldn’t be further from his assigned destination, and in fact, the close-by unfamiliar sector didn’t even have numbers or letters to label it, being just acknowledged by the computer as 'unknown'._

  
_"Blasted contraption." Vegeta mumbled behind clenched teeth, desperately wishing to believe that this malfunction was just accidental, though the little voice stinging in the back of his head was almost screaming now, "If I’ll get in trouble for arriving late in Nutek, I’ll kill the mechanic!" Angrily, he flicked the right coordinates to his destination. To his surprise, however, the computer flicked back to the former coordinates Vegeta had seen before. He tried again. Once again, those cursed numbers flickered back._

  
_"Dammit!" Vegeta almost smashed his hand on the computer, restraining just because he was stuck out in space, and destroying the blasted thing would just put him in more trouble than he already was. No doubt it was a trap, and he had been foolish enough to fall into it. Now it was clear, the reason for that seemingly unnecessary time at the regeneration tank. Any competent technician would have time to program the computer in a short space of time while he was napping in the tank, and in a way that couldn’t be undone by anyone save another expert (and Vegeta certainly wasn’t). How in the universe could he be so naïve?_   
_It didn’t take even half of his intelligence to figure out why. He always had been discreet about all the encounters and planning things, but he knew that Nappa and Radditz weren’t so careful. Everybody around them knew pretty well how much the three Saiyans hated Freeza. And nobody was very fond of the three or of Vegeta in particular anyway. Anyone could have tracked them down, or investigated until he found enough evidence to put Freeza on Vegeta’s neck._   
_The only thing surprising in all of this was the fact that Freeza had bothered with making such a sophisticated plan to get rid from him. It was not like the old worm. Forever, the prince always knew the unholy tortures that Freeza would make him go through if he had any suspicions that Vegeta was conspiring against him. In his nightmares, he frequently saw himself being dismembered limb by limb, ripped into pieces still alive, or burned slowly by the monster’s energy beam until he was reduced to a pile of ashes. Freeza loved taunting and making blood run. Nothing pleased him more than to break anyone foolish enough to resist against him and watch personally as his victim lost every last bit of hope. Perhaps there was a hidden camera somewhere in the ship, and Freeza would be now savoring his distress._   
_Well, obviously he wouldn’t be able to fix the damned contraption by himself. So let’s examine the other possibilities, he thought. He reached to his scouter, even though he was already skeptical about it. They wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to send him to nowhere and still let him take a functional device he could use to call for aid._

  
_As Vegeta expected, the scouter wasn’t working. Quickly, he took it off and opened it. The small, delicate engines and wires had been completely eaten away, leaving nothing but a kind of smelly ooze. ‘A pill. Very smart.'  His mouth twisted in a bitter grin._   
  
_'Pill' was slang for a very sophisticated article for spies. A small capsule of a special acid, it could be kept indefinitely in storage.  However, once taken from its container and in contact with oxygen, it took one hour for the acid to break the fragile coating of the pill and spread, destroying everything around it. A perfect weapon for murder or sabotage. If they had given him a broken scouter, there would always be the chance of Vegeta calling his companions and discovering the trick. Instead, they had slipped a pill in the scouter, so he could talk to Nappa without suspicion, before the scouter was 'knocked out'._   
_Rationally, he searched into his mind for any other way possible to run from his situation. Yet, as much as Vegeta tried to stay coldly calm, a hint of despair was slowly insinuating through his brain. Well, it was in their interest to keep him alive, at least for a while, since the ship hadn’t exploded yet or something. Probably, the ship was assigned to send him to any planet where he would be imprisoned, sold as a slave, or something similar. In that case, he could find a way of escaping. What he really feared was if the ship would be flying aimlessly until he was completely out of oxygen. A hint of fear flashed through his mind when this idea occurred to him. Anything but that!_

  
_As he scolded himself for having panicked so easily, one thing occurred to him. It was something he rarely used, but it was possible..._

  
_"Greetings, Vegeta", a familiar and very much hated voice interrupted his thoughts "Enjoying the trip?"_

  
_Vegeta looked down to see Freeza’s face on the communication screen._

  
_"You’re late," Vegeta muttered behind clenched teeth._  
  
**********    
  
  "Ugly, isn't he?" sneered a high-pitched, unpleasant voice that sent shrills up the spine of anyone who heard it. Not that Syrup could be called a beauty paragon - even by the standards of his race he wouldn't be considered pretty, with his brown skin marked by black dots and reptilian faces with four malevolent yellow eyes.   
His two companions didn’t look much better, either. But the most remarkable things were not their appearances, or even the uniforms they were wearing. Any of them could be easily taken as a soldier of Freeza, because of their scouters and the trademark rubber armors. That was exactly the reason why they were dressed like that. Actually, neither of them nor the rest of their crew had the displeasure of meeting Freeza personally and none of them wished it. Like the Icejin, they were aliens who also lived off the natural sources and everything the inhabitants of other planets could produce, but they had their own independent life. Like a few species of insects that mimic the appearance of stronger predators in order to look more intimidating, these pirates used the fame of Freeza’s armies to terrify the inhabitants of the planets they attacked. Not that they didn’t have any power of their own, but their opponents’ instinctual resistance spared time and physical health.   
  
Of course, the true Freeza knew about their existence, but those pirates were smart. It would be foolish to remain forever in the same place, waiting to someday be found and burst into a million particles, so they constantly moved from one planet to another, preferably unknown ones. The last move, however, hadn’t been exactly planned. It had been more emergence than anything. Everything was because their master had found the other two survivors of his own species. They were trouble, his companions had warned him, but the Master was stubborn.   
A few scout parties had been sent in order to investigate the area, with both the purpose of searching for food and any intelligent forms of life living there, especially because their leader wanted to meet with them. None of the scouters were very enthused at such a task; to be honest, even to repair the damages the ship had suffered during their landing because of the storm looked more appealing.  Besides, the main interest had already been found. But at least those three scouters wouldn’t return empty-handed.  
  
"He’ll look more presentable after a good cleansing." Beer, the leading scouter, said with a shrug. He was a burly, furred man with average height and auburn hair surrounding his bony face. “Though I’m happy I’m not going to be the one who’ll do that…"   
  
"Even if the labs disinfect him completely, he’ll still be ugly. And trash. It’s not worth the trouble to take him to Master Turles. We should put him out of his misery right now."  
  
"I don’t care about your opinions, Syrup. We’ll take him and Master Turles will decide if he’ll serve his purpose or not.”  Seeing that the conversation was over, Beer turned to look at his other companion, Garana. Garana was a tall, slender man with a conic head and lavender, wrinkled skin, though he was still young. He was crouched by the ailing man they had found minutes ago among the wreckage. Apparently, it was a native, and the fact that he was completely naked just reinforced that theory, although Garana had hesitantly said that his clothes could have been torn off by the waters. His ki was terribly low, and by now it was impossible to be sure if it was because of his current health state or because he was really weak - the fact was that they hadn’t even detected him with their scouters, and if Beer hadn’t tripped on him accidentally they would have taken him for a rotten piece of wood.  
  
"So, how is he? Will he survive until we reach the ship?” the leader asked.  
  
Garana turned his head to look at them, revealing a wrinkled face with a dark cave where his mouth was supposed to be, and his small eyes sunk in two circles of wrinkled skin.  
  
"There’s a ninety-percent possibility, I’d say, if there aren’t any complications" Garana calculated. His voice was rough, but understandable. "I took out the water I could from his lungs and he’s still too cold, but his breathing is regular and his pulse strong. Still, we should take him to the ship as fast as possible."  
  
"Why?" Beer asked.  
  
Garana hesitated, looking at the fainted prisoner as he prepared to speak.   
"I don’t like these cuts on his skin," he finally spoke, in a forceful tone, "they’re superficial, probably caused by the rocks and other things he collided with in the river, but they might cause some infections. He might have some internal lesions; maybe that’s why he hasn’t woken up right now."  
  
"Or he might be pretending." Syrup sneered, "Let me help you with that." Stepping forward, he nudged the prisoner’s leg with the point of his boot. "Time to get up, sleeping ugly! We’re not going to carry you!" he raised up his foot to kick him, but a violent punch on his back sent him diving nose-first on the muddy ground.  
  
"Do you think you’re really funny?" Beer growled “Who do you think is in charge in here? I want this specimen to get to the ship alive and in perfect condition. And if I say you’ll carry him on his back, you’ll do it!"  
  
Syrup spat out the mud in his mouth before responding. His eyes glittered, as if he couldn’t believe the other had done such a thing to him.  
"You didn’t need to do that." he hissed. "Can’t you stand a simple joke? I don’t give a damn if it was Absinth and not you who found the only star sphere in this little ball of shit..."  
Pretending to be very busy examining the patient, Garana shook his head. That idiot, why he insisted babbling like that and getting more trouble, Garana didn’t know. They were wasting precious time with all his arguing.  Absently, he raised his fingers to his scouter. A sudden beep-beep and a flickering series of numbers on its only lens pulled him from his boredom.  
  
"What the fuck...?" he blurted out, earning Beer’s attention. The furred leader raised his eyebrows interrogatively, his right hand still clutching Syrup’s collar.   
  
"There’s something coming in this direction," Garana explained. "Three, no, four people..."  
  
Releasing Syrup, Beer quickly checked his scouter, frowning at the new signs. The lizard alien he’d been holding fell on his butt, but quickly jumped back to his feet. Mumbling and brushing some mud from himself and his scouter, he was about to check the signals, too, but suddenly a loud uproar came from the sky, making the three look up.  
  
"Look!" Syrup yelled, pointing at the sky. Far above, something crossed the skies at a high velocity. Despite the distance and velocity, they could clearly see that it was a spaceship, even though it was a very unusually-shaped one, with four spikes protruding from it as legs.  
  
"That’s a Namekian spaceship," Beer said aloud as they watched the ship flying left and lower and lower, until it finally disappeared within the woods.  
  
"But what the hell would Namekians want on this small planet?" Garana asked, dropping his jaw "They’re not exactly a traveling people."  
  
"Maybe they’re tourists," Syrup offered.  
  
"Or maybe they’re after the same thing as us. Can’t you see?" Beer growled. His two companions gasped simultaneously. Counting the four of them, there beeped a strong signal on the scouters that all of them already knew well. And it signaled not only one, but...  
  
"Three spheres?" Syrup’s eyes bulged "But why would Namekians be searching the spheres, too? They have all the magic they need!"  
  
"Finally you said something intelligent!" Beer agreed "There’s something fishy about this, and it’s better for us to check before the others come here before us. No, Garana" he said, seeing the blue alien floating in the air with them, "stay with the prisoner. You weren’t even supposed to have taken off with us!" he scolded.   
  
"Why?" Garana’s expression showed that he more or less expected that; still, he couldn’t help but protest. "He’s out of danger now. You might need my services, if these new guys give you too much work. Syrup can babysit the prisoner instead. "  
"No, he can’t. If I know Syrup well, he might kill the prisoner just to relieve his boredom, and then say it was an accident. I’ll have a patrol come here and help you get this sorry ass to the ship...and for your own health, its better that he’s still alive and sound when they find you." And with that, Beer flew away. Syrup gave a scornful, unpleasant laugh.  
  
"Yeah, take good care of the Lazy Boy!" he sneered, then followed his leader, laughing as he found his own joke very funny.  
  
Having nowhere to go but down, Garana stood several feet from where the unconscious man laid, glaring warily at him and cursing his own bad luck. He hadn’t the courage to tell Beer what had been really bothering him...that the strange man they had found almost drowned in that sandbank could belong to the same race as Master Turles. Even with all the mud and dirt, the signs were evident...his face, his hair, even the furred tail. How those two idiots hadn’t noticed all that, he didn’t know. But Garana knew they would consider the hypothesis an absurd one and laugh at him. Freeza had extinguished the Saiyan race a long time ago. Even the only heir of the Royal House was dead, five years ago, according to those guys Nappa and Radditz. They were dead now - and good riddance! They had brought with them nothing but trouble. Now the only Saiyans alive were Master Turles and that freaky copy of his that lived on Earth...and even then it was only a matter of time until that blasted planet was destroyed by the Master’s secret weapon. But if there was a Saiyan on Earth, couldn’t there be another Saiyan living elsewhere as well?    
  
Slowly, Garana took a few steps towards the still immobile man. He knew that Saiyans used to send their babies to purge other planets, as a sort of initiation and training. Thanks to that, Master Turles and his Earth clone had survived their planet’s destruction. And if they could, why not other Saiyans?   
Of course, he could just be imagining things, he thought, more to reassure himself, as he walked in circles. After all, his ki was too low to belong to a Saiyan .Maybe he was just being paranoid. With these thoughts, he walked a little closer to the ailing man. Garana wasn’t sure if he was really fainted or just pretending, but anyway the handcuffs would keep him from causing any trouble. Still, that scout party was taking forever. Blasted Beer, he probably had forgotten sending someone to help him. Better to call them himself.   
  
Garana just had reached the communication button on his scouter when a low whining called his attention. His eyes instantaneously dropped where the man still lay. The prisoner stirred and moved his head, then frowned a little, apparently noticing he couldn’t move his arms freely, but he didn’t open his eyes. His legs folded a little, resting the soles of his feet on the ground, as if he was going to try and sit up. Sure that there was no danger, Garana started walking towards him.  
"Ooohhh... " the man moaned, blinking "Where I am? And why can’t I feel my hands?"  
"Shut up, or you’re not going feel your entire body." Garana hissed threateningly, as his hand slid toward the laser pistol in his belt. The prisoner blinked again with a confused expression, as if he couldn’t see Garana clearly.  
  
"I need some water..." he said in a pleading tone. The blue alien hesitated and started putting his pistol back on his belt. Slowly, he bent down over the other man.  
  
A move he would regret in his last seconds of life.  
  
In a quick movement and using his tail and legs as coils, the man took impulse and pressed the handcuffs against Garana’s throat, and at the same time his hands grabbed the back of the pirate’s neck, forcing the damn things against his skin. Caught off-guard, Garana lost his balance and fell on his back, receiving the whole weight of the former prisoner toppling over him. The pirate still made a move to get his pistol, but the tail of his opponent wrapped around his thin arm and twisted it until the bone snapped with a dry sound.  
  
Despite all the pain and despair taking over his senses, Garana couldn’t help but feel shocked. Although he was considered weak in comparison to most of Turles’ cohorts, he wasn’t supposed to be easily defeated by this half-drowned native with such pitiful ki. And, in the last seconds his brain worked, he realized his suspicion was right. That man was really a S...   
  
Then a last stroke of the handcuffs finally ripped his throat, releasing a jet of dark blue fluid at Vegeta’s face with a gurgled sound. He received the smelly, clammy liquid with a disgusted face. Spitting and blinking, he tried unsuccessfully to clean his face with his forearms, before staring at the corpse with an expression of wonder and disbelief. Slowly, the realization dawned on him, making a slow, evil laugh come from the deep of his own throat.  
  
"Thanks for saving my life," he said to Garana’s corpse. An old, devious flame that hadn’t come in years danced once again within his black eyes.

 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
  
*Garana  - Guaraná, a non-alcoholic kind of soda very popular in a few countries of South America.


	5. Misterious Foes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally Untamed is back! Sorry for taking so long, but hope you´ll enjoy it.
> 
> English is not my first language, and finding a good beta is not that easy. So if you can recommend me one, I´ll be very grateful.

Something was definitely wrong; They were flying in circles for two hours and everything they found were trees and more trees. And occasionally the back or the head of those boring dinossaurs that could belong to Syrup´s family. Beer would have liked to go down and explode a few of those brutes just to burst out, and he knew his companion would be delighted of doing likewise, but it would be stupid. A giant sign written “HELLO, WE ARE RIGHT HERE!” wouldn´t be more effective to alert the so-called Namekians about their presence.  
  
Finally, Beer got tired of sightseeing. He waved to Syrup and they both landed. Beer had warned his subordinate to not talk or make a single sound unless it would be necessary. It was the only thing good there - at least Beer hadn´t to put up with Syrup´s annoying voice and empty talk.  
  
Or so he had thought.  
  
“Did you see that?” the lizard whispered when they landed “Those two strong signals we detected disappeared.”  
  
“Probably the Namekuseijin died when the ship crashed down. Good. That means we´re not going to face any resistance.” Beer mumbled, giving him a look to shut up.  
Casualties caused by a forced landing were very common among space travelers. Even the pirates had lost some members of their group during the storm, and they wouldn´t mourn their dead.  
  
“Good? It sucks!”  
  
“You´ll may have some fun later, blowing your wild relatives in our way back to the ship. And don´t make me tell you to shut up again!”  
  
Their research on the ground was equally fruitless. Nothing signaled that a ship had made a forced landing or a normal one. Not that it was needed a big hole, charred bodies or other things equally dramatic; but at least it supposed to be a few broken branches, since the ship had landed in the middle of the forest. If it wasn´t for the strong signals telling that the spheres were very close, Beer would think they were delusional. Every minute that passed he became more angry. Were those contraptions broken? Calling the ship, he was reported that yes, his colleagues had detected the spheres there, too, along with some sneering comments that made Beer´s blood boil. Juice, that shitty piece of moron, made the point of asking him if Beer didn´t want another hunting party to replace him and Syrup.  
  
"Fuck off! What in the universe is happening here? We´ve passed by here a thousand times…” Beer thought “The signal is as strong as if the spheres were in front of me… but I see nothing but those blasted trees!”  
  
A laser gun hissed behind him, followed by its typical burning smell. Beer whirled around, ready to fight back. But it was only Syrup, staring at the small flames he had ignited, his left arm pointing at some invisible foe.  
  
“What´s up?” automatically, Beer pointed his own weapon at the same direction as Syrup “Why did you shoot?”  
  
“Someone was hiding behind those trees,” Syrup explained without taking his eyes off the bushes “I heard a noise.”  
  
Cautiously, Beer took a few steps forward, his weapon held up. He looked down at the hole the laser had opened in the bush. If something alive had been there, it was ashes now.  
“Probably a squirrel. Thanks to you, it´ll no longer threaten our lives.” Beer said sarcastically “And thanks to you, so much for our chances of a surprise attack, if someone of that blasted ship is really around. Why don´t you jump and yell, “Hey, hey, we are here”?”  
  
Syrup took a slow breath, the air hissing through his large nostrils.  
  
“I´d love to, if there was someone here to watch! My feet hurt and my stomach groans because you need so bad to show that you´re much better than Absinth and not go back with your hands empty to be laughed at, as it always happens!”  
  
That was the last straw. Grabbing Syrup by the collar of his armor, Beer slapped the lizard´s face twice, before whirling him around and tossing him towards the trees. For Beer´s complete astonishment, instead of Syrup crashing against the trunk of a tree, he went flying through it and disappeared. A muffled thud somewhere inside the tree signaled Syrup´s fall.  
  
Beer dropped his jaw, but just for a few seconds; his mind quickly went back to work. Taking a step forward, he held out his hand cautiously, to touch the tree Syrup had went through. His hand felt nothing and went through the trunk as if it was air. Smiling, Beer walked forward.  
  
Like in a dream, the trees shivered and vanished away, replaced by a large clearing where rested the Namek ship that he and his colleagues had seen hours ago. Lying next to one of the pointed legs of the ship, Syrup was still stunned and rubbing his aching head. Unaware of the discovery he had accidentally caused, Syrup pulled by to his feet when he saw Beer, his small eyes narrowing with hate.  
  
“That´s enough! Leader or not, you´ll gonna pay m…” he jumped at his furred fellow, but Beer dodged him easily and grabbed Syrup by his shoulders, forcing him to look at the ship. It was Syrup´s turn to gape.  
  
“The… the Namek ship!” he stuttered.  
  
“Yes!” Beer laughed “It was hidden right in front of our noses by a hologram! Who´d guess that the Namekians were so smart?”  
  
“Rascals!” Syrup smirked balefully, his mind already planning a good revenge. He searched for his gun, but Beer held his arm and signaled him to check on his scouter.  
  
The device confirmed that the spheres were inside the ship. By other turn, there was no sign of life. No sound came from the ship, and there was no movement seen through the large window on its front. Syrup´s face fell with angry disappointment.  
  
“Don´t be so hasty,” Beer warned in a well-humored tone “Remember that small kis can´t be detected by our scouters. Maybe there´s still someone alive in there.”  
  
Syrup mumbled something about “small fries” and “junk”, but his leader was no longer paying him attention. He was checking around the ship. Looking underneath, he found a large, oval mark on the ships´ belly.  
  
“Gotcha…” he just said that and his scouter beeped in an alarming way. Before he could say or do something, a strong blow broke his neck. Beer toppled and fell forward, his mouth open to never speaking again. Syrup was already laying on the ground.  
  
Gohan and Krillin stared in awe at the now lifeless pirates.  
  
“Man! That was close,” the boy whispered “If we hadn´t decided to come back quickly…”  
Krillen nodded. Crouching down, he checked on Beer and Syrup, touching their bodies with a disgusting face.  
  
“They´re really dead. We were very lucky these two were so weak. If it was someone like Turles or Nappa, we´d be up the creek.”  
  
“Uh-uh” Gohan mumbled through trembling lips. His eyes blinked, as if he was trying to stop tears from coming. Guessing easily what the little boy felt, Krillin tried to confort him.  
  
“You did the right thing. If we had let them fly away, they would come back with more bad guys. And even if we got them as hostages, they could be a menace for Bulma and Oolong.”  
“I know” Gohan said, trying to sound brave “Dad and Piccolo-San told me about this kind of thing a thousand of times. It´s just… It´s just that sometimes I wish to have another choice.”  
  
“Me, too. “Krillin nodded again, patting Gohan on the shoulder “Go inside and tell Bulma that she and Oolong are safe now. They must be hysterical if they heard all that noise. I´ll take the bodies away to bury them.”  
  
Krillin noticed the boy´s hesitation and waved a dismissing hand “Go! While you´re at it, take the fruits we picked up inside” he insisted, giving a look at the two sacks filled with fruits they had picked up in the forest.  
  
  
He waited until Gohan was inside the ship before looking at Syrup. No, he wasn´t wrong: the ugliest alien was still breathing. Unconsciously, Gohan hadn´t hit Syrup with enough strength to kill him.  
  
A quick blow on the neck solved the problem. Krillin gulped guiltily. Even though there wasn´t another way, he felt as if his best friend was somehow there, glaring at him in disappointmentl.  
  
“I´m so sorry, Goku.” He whispered “I know you wouldn´t approve this. If only you could be here with us, you always know the right thing to do. I just hope to not be sent to Hell when I´ll die again.”  
  
If his weakest companions had been hysterical due the long wait inside the ship and the outward menace, they had recovered quickly. When Krillin returned, he found them talking to Gohan in the control room. Bulma obviously had been boasting about her geniality for building a hologram projector to hide the ship, judging by Oolong´s annoyed look and his belittling speech.  
  
“Oh, stop that. It wasn´t YOUR idea, for the start; you just copied from those orphaned kids we met, back on the space station.” The little hog sneered.  
  
“I´d like to see YOU doing something like that!” Bulma replied, her blue eyes sending angry sparks “Since our journey has begun, you haven´t done anything but whining and complaining, and spying on me!”  
  
“Guys…” Krillin started, but they ignored him.  
  
“And cooking, don´t forget that!” Oolong yelled back “And doing the laundry of everyone here. And checking on Gohan´s lessons…!  
  
“Checking on Gohans´ lessons’, ha! He knows much more than you…”  
  
“SHUT UP YOU TWO!” Gohan´s little voice thundered inside the convexe walls of the ship.  
Instantaneously, his friends silenced and stared at him surprised. “Maybe he has actually something from Chichi…” Krillin thought.  
  
Finding himself the center of attention, Gohan looked down, embarrassed.  
  
“I-I´m sorry…” he started shyly, “but this is not time to fight. We are in danger now. I think that those two that Mr. Krillin and I found outside the ship were Turles´ friends. They were dressing the same kind of clothes that him, Nappa and Radditz.”  
  
Oolong and Bulma´s faces became white.  
  
“I knew it!” Bulma squealed, taking both hands to her head “ We had already considered this possibility before landing in this planet. But… wait a moment… If all those spheres we detected are together t-that means…”  
  
“Turles has them!” Oolong finished “But how? Does he has some kind of dragon radar, too?”  
“We saw them checking on the scouters “Krillin explained, “One of them said that the spheres signal was strong.”  
  
“But then… then…” the pig stuttered, his skin going from white to almost see-through “That means that more pirates can come here anytime! They might be already coming! We have to get rid of our dragonballs immediately!” he hightailed towards a door, obviously aiming the deposit where they kept spheres they had picked up along the journey. Gohan barred his way.  
  
“You can´t be thinking of doing this! We have lots of hard work to get them. What will happen to the Earth? And Mom, Dad, Mr. Piccolo and all our friends? They will die!” he lectured.  
  
Oolong looked embarassed for a moment.  
  
“That´s life, kid. They´ll understand if we´ll fail. We can find some safe place in the universe…”  
  
“Forget it. We can´t go now.” Bulma cut him off.  
  
The three males looked at him as if Bulma had said she was going to shave her head.  
“What do you mean with ‘ we can´t go’?” the pig bristled “You said you could fix the ship in one minute! Are you saying that Miss Knows- Everyth…”  
  
Krillin cut him off, because Bulma was obviously about to explode. The last thing they needed now was another fight.  
  
“The damage caused by the storm… it was more serious than it seemed?” he asked in a conciliatory tone.  
  
Bulma shot a glare at Oolong, before taking a calming breath.  
  
“I think the lightnings caused it. The computer doesn´t answer anymore, because two of the main pieces were burned and I couldn´t replace them.” Her tone was tense, making it clear that she was doing her best to stay calm.  
  
“But haven´t you brought replacement pieces from Namek?” Krillin insisted, slightly annoyed “We took forever to leave because you were so worked up into finding the best mechanic in the whole planet!”  
  
“DO YOU THINK THAT IT IS THAT SIMPLE?!” Bulma finally outburst, making the trio back off. She breathed again, in order to explain, but it didn´t help much “I got the pieces that resembled most the engines of Kamisama´s ship, but the ship is VERY old! Even Arion wasn´t sure if those spare parts would work, because mostly of the old Namek technology was lost with their first planet.“  
  
Krillin and Oolong stared blank, but Gohan nodded understandingly.  
  
“I see… The pieces you have are not compatible to the ship´s computer.” he said almost gleefuly, as if the news weren´t terrible.  
  
“So we are trapped here?” Oolong asked, panicking again.  
  
“Don´t be so hasty! I think I can make some adaptations, at least to make the ship take us to a civilized planet. But it´ll take several days. I would do better building first an antenna to block the signals of our spheres.”  
  
“You´ll may build one after we find a new place to stay” Krillin interrupted her impatiently “In one thing Oolong is right: it´s too dangerous to stay here. If even those two fools figured out the hologram trick, anyone else can do it.”  
  
“Now you´re hearing me?” the little pig moaned, his face white with the perspective of having to face the jungle out there. Bulma looked as scared as him, and Gohan wasn´t happy, too.  
  
“But what about the dragonballs?” he pressed on “Will we leave them to Turles?”  
The four silenced for a brief moment. It wasn´t fair to leave the reason for their journey in the ship, but it would be dangerous to take the dragonballs with them.  
  
“We´re wasting time here!” Oolong lectured “Why won´t you two bury them somewhere far away from here, while Bulma and I pack our stuff? Then you´ll come back and help us to find a shelter!”  
  
His companions stared at him as if it was impossible to expect that Oolong could say something so clever.  
  
“Good idea!” Krillin approved with a smile“If we´ll move the dragonballs, the pirates´ attention will be distracted from the ship.” He noticed Gohan´s mouth opening to protest, and reassured him “It’ll be just until we´ll find another place. After Oolong and Bulma are safe, we´ll go back to the place we buried the dragonballs to protect them until Bulma builds the antenna.”  
  
“What if Turles gets our dragonballs before that?” the kid still objected.  
  
“Then you two will figure out how to get back ‘our’ balls along with the ones Turles picked up! You´ll have to do it anyway, right?” Bulma answered impatiently as she gathered her toolbox and some objects from the control room. Looking over her shoulder, she glared at Oolong, who was examining critically a fruit from the fresh supplies that Krillin and Gohan had collected in the woods “Since you´re dealing with food, go to the kitchen and get the rest of our supplies. And don´t put anything in your pockets!” she demanded.  
  
“You could have asked me nicely. I´m the smartest guy here.” The pig mumbled as he sullenly complied.  
  
“Don´t try me, “the young woman hissed, before turning to follow Krillin and Gohan to the deposit “Too bad we haven´t another scouter. It would help a lot if I could study one to figure out how they detect the dragonballs,” she complained with a sigh.  
  
“The guys we defeated had scouters!” Gohan remembered innocently, not noticing his friend´s worried look.  
  
“Wonderful! “ Bulma cheered up “And where are they?”  
  
“T-they… I buried them along with the bodies,” Krillin confessed, gulping.  
  
Bulma almost fell on her back.  
  
“YOU´RE TELLING ME THAT YOU BURIED THOSE PIRATES WITHOUT CHECKING IF THEY CARRIED ANYTHING IMPORTANT?!” she roared “Do I have to think of everything? GO NOW AND DON´T COME BACK WITHOUT THE SCOUTERS! And bring everything else they have! Strip them naked, if you need!”  
  
***  
  
Sepsi typed the password that opened the heavy door of Turles´ lab. He took a deep breath and his entire body stiffened, preparing himself for a very unpleasant task. Even before the door was completely opened, a humid wave of heat bathed his face like a lover´s touch. At the first sight, you could think that the door led to the outside world, if it wasn´t for the path signaled by small metal plates on the floor. The large dome of see-through crystal contributed for the feeling of open place. However, as Sepsi walked through bushes and trees, more and more mechanic details showed up here and there, like hisses and bubbling sounds, as long as the tubes and wires that kept the plants alive. Besides, the artificial jungle had no animals, except for a few specimens floating in special tubes in the backgrounds of the lab.  
  
Finally reaching the experiment area, Sepsi looked around. Apparently his boss wasn´t there.  
  
“Juice tricked me again, that bastard…”he mumbled as he leaned with a hand on a metal table. Absently, his eyes ran over its contents – mostly were plates with surgical instruments, but there were also a couple of weird-looking fruits. If they were really fruits. They looked like mashed balls. He held out a hand to pick one and see it better.  
  
“I wouldn´t eat that, if I was you,” an amused voice boomed behind Sepsi´s back “I reduced its poison, but it still can give you a pretty bellyache.”  
  
Dropping immediately the fruit, Sepsi jumped and whirled around:  
  
“M-Master Turles! I´m so sorry, didn´t see you coming.”  
  
“Anything wrong, Sepsi?” the tall man who looked like Goku ignored the aphology “You always wait for me to leave the laboratory.”  
  
Sepsi ignored Turles'  insinuation of cowardice.  
  
“We lost the group that was looking for the Namek ship.”  
  
“Beer´s group, uh? I´m not surprised. He always was an incompetent. Did they find the ship, at least?”  
  
“No. The last time Beer contacted us he said there was something very strange happening. There wasn´t any sign of a ship landing in the woods. No broken or charred trees, no crater or any sort of hole. As if the ship had been a hallucination.”  
  
“But the spheres signals are not a hallucination. A Namek ship wouldn´t burn anything, because their ships have no propulsion system. The crew must be hiding with a hologram of something alike; I heard of a children colony that protected their ship with this. “ Turles mouth stretched in a smirk and he laughed cruelly “Poor Beer. I bet that he died with the ship right under his snout!”  
  
“Now that you said, I remember of something funny”, Sepsi almost exclaimed, a light of recognition dawning in his eyes, “Do you remember those strong ki signals our scouters signaled? They disappeared after the ship landed. We thought that the crew had been killed by ship crash, but the kis blinked back a few seconds before we lost contact with Beer and Syrup. Then they never showed up again. “  
  
Turles´ dark eyes glimmered with excitement, fast memories of his battle on Earth passing through his brain. Was that so? Slowly, his lips curled in another unpleasant smirk. That could be even better. Not only all the black star dragonballs would be his, he would also have his revenge sooner than he had thought. He had to make an effort to not burst into laughing.  
  
“So they can control their kis at the point they can´t be detected? I suspected they weren´t namekuseijin.”  
  
Sepsi looked shocked at his boss´ statement. He opened his mouth to ask, but Taurus cut him off.  
  
“Out with that. You said “before Beer and Syrup lost contact”. Garana wasn´t with them?”  
  
“No. Garana was taking care of a native they found almost drowned in a river. We sent a party to get them, but they found only Garana´s body. Apparently, he put handcuffs on the savage, and the creature used them to rip Garana´s throat. We found the handcuffs opened and full of blue blood, a few meters from the corpse. The savage made off with Garana´s things, too: his scouter, the laser pistol and belt are missing. The stupid thing must have taken them as trophies” Sepsi finished with disdain, not noticing the way Turles suddenly stiffened.  
  
The dark-skinned alien just noticed that his boss looked disturbed, which was natural… they never expected that a simple Namek ship would give them so much trouble. Umpatient to find himself out of the laboratory, he broke the silence.  
  
“May I send another hunting party after the ship?” he asked, more to have Turles´ official confirmation, since it looked obvious.  
  
“No. Obviously, they´re after our dragonballs. Let´s let them try to get them,” Turles said with a smile, both in expectative for the upcoming battle and of amusement for Sepsi´s shocked face. Then he made a frown “I prefer that you sent a hunting party after the savage that killed Garana.”  
  
“The native?” Sepsi asked with a disgusted face “It´s nothing but a piece of trash, master. Garana´s death doesn´t mean anything, anyone could kill easily an Andrellian. Absynth found the savage´s hut and said it stinked more than the hut of a Yakon.”  
  
“That man is not a native,” Taurus insisted with forced calm. How could his men be so stupid?” You haven´t found any savage tribes living here, have you? We have a man with a laser gun roaming around – and he might be listening our talking!” he yelled, stretching an arm towards Sepsi. Brutally, he yanked his subordinate´s scouter and tossed It down. Still, Sepsi wasn´t convinced.  
  
“Oh please, master. How could an ignorant savage to know how to use an scouter or a laser gun? He must have taken them because they looked cute for him. You know how these primeval tribes love knickknacks. If his tribe´s not here, he must have come from the mount…” he was violently pushed back, knocking the metal table down. His head hadn´t hit the floor yet and Turles´ boot landed painfully on Sepsi´s chest, taking his air off.  
“That man is not a savage, you big idiot!” Taurus´ angry voice thundered in the lab walls, making his subordinate´s ears ring “Haven´t you realized yet? A SAVAGE WOULDN´T KNOW HOW TO USE A PHOTON CARD TO OPEN THE HANDCUFFS!!”  
  
***  
  
“Shit” Vegeta mumbled as he turned Garana´s scouter off.


	6. Hidden

 

 

 

**Hidden**

 

 

Crouched on a thick branch at millions of meters above the ground, Vegeta fumbled with the radio of the scouter, more out of stubborness than for hope of understanding anything. After Taurus realized that Vegeta wasn´t a "savage", the messages exchanged by the pirates via radio changed for an incomprehensible language the prince never heard before. Frustrated, he finally turned it off. The only thing that kept him from smashing the contraption was the fact that he still needed it to get the signals of the so-called "dragon balls", including the one that once belonged to him. Funny, Vegeta never had understood completely the reasons why he had kept the sphere, aside a childlish craving for having something his. Who could ever guess that a simple toy would be his ticket out from that hell shaped like a jungle?

What the pirates and namekuseijin needed the dragon balls for didn´t interest Vegeta now. He´d eventually figure it out. His head was busy finding the best way of taking advantage from the invaders. None of the ships would stay there after one of the groups had all the spheres - unless they ended up killing each other. Absently, he opened one of the small bags of the belt that once belonged to Garana, took out a piece of a lizard he had killed recently and started munching it, even having no hungry. Cleaning hurriedly his greased hand on his right thigh, he arched both legs and jumped.  

For some seconds his tan body looked like frozen into the air. Then his tail stretched out and wrapped itself on a branch above Vegeta´s head, helping him to impulse towards the farthest tree. Anyone who could watch his acrobacies at the top of the trees would be speechless at how quick and agile he was. However, such ability just filled Vegeta´s heart with shame and frustration. Acting like that, he was giving reason to everyone who once called him a "monkey Saiyan". Worse, if he could fly, he would be able to make an entire turn around the planet in less than an hour. And he couldn´t even allow himself to think about his loss.

After many kilometers, his ears caught a small, but suspect bustle. Immediately, Vegeta embraced the trunk of the tree he just had jumped on with his arms and legs, hiding himself behind it. At distance, he could be taken by some giant tree-frog, if it wasn´t by his furred tail and pointed mane. From his hiding, he realized that the noise had been caused by giant squirrels running away. Probably they had smelled him. The naked Saiyan climbed the thickest branch of the tree and rested on his crouched legs, musing about the problem. At the day before, he had cleaned himself the best he could from the mud and Garana´s blood; he was still a little dirty, but his subtle smell was perceptible enough to frighten the animals away. Shit. Vegeta had no time or stuff to fabricate his usual camouflage of animal greases. All he could do was hoping that those pirates were too thick-witted to notice that the beasts were running from something that not the pirates themselves. Apparently, the only one among them sensible to subtle clues was their boss, Turles. 

"Tr _acked out by another Saiyan. Who´d ever guess."_ he thought, slightly amused. 

Interesting to know that there was another Saiyan besides himself, Nappa, Radditz and Radditz´s little brother, Kakarott. From Vegeta´s point of view, Turles had to be a Saiyan. Nobody would be crazy to call their child with a name so typical of the most hated race in the universe, besides the Icejins. Probably Turles had been sent for another planet as a baby but the pirates found the brat. Or Turles had joined them after he grew up, whatever. _"If I only knew that there was a Saiyan living among the pirates, I wouldn´t have lingered so much on contacting them. So I wouldn´t have given time to Freeza to send me away._  

Resting his eyes on his own barefeet, he thought enviously of the pirate uniforms. He had taken Garana´s belt, scout and laser gun, but the alien´s clothes were useless for him. The blasted purple fool was too thin and long limbed; even if the cloth stretched forever like Saiyan´s uniforms, it wouldn´t fit Vegeta well. " _I have to find something to wear soon. It would be very humiliating if those goons caught me wearing nothing besides this belt."_  

Until recently, he didn´t care to be naked because there wasn´t anyone else around to see him besides equally bared animals. As if, until that moment, Vegeta felt that he wasn´t different from those stupid beasts, for having allowed others to fool him in that shameful exiling scheme. But, now, he was coming back to world of the rational, civilized beings. Well, technically civilized, whatever. For the first time in years he felt his mind clear, free from the constant numbness that kept him as a sort of robot, thinking of nothing but hunting, eating and sleeping. Despite his precarious situation, Vegeta felt almost happy now. 

_"It´s like I have finally waken up, after a long, full of nightmares sleep. Even if they´ll kill me, I´ll die as a Saiyan, fighting true enemies, instead of mindless beasts. But not if depends on me."_   Turning on the scouter again, the Saiyan checked the signals to make sure he hadn´t lost track. No. Both the groups of dragon balls hadn´t moved since his last check. It was the smaller group, the one of namekuseijin spheres, that interested Vegeta - or rather, the people keeping them. _"I´m almost there. They must think that, moving their spheres for a different place, the pirates wouldn´t find them. I never thought that namekuseijin were so naive... but even that is good to me."_  He couldn´t take over Turles´ ship, but maybe he could face the namekuseijin, if those mysterious people were really from Namek. First, he had to watch them, see how many and how strong they were. If they were just two or three and weak, with luck, perhaps Vegeta could kill them and spare himself from his current plan.  However, something inside him laughed about possibility.

 Not because the 'namekuseijin' had killed Beer and the other guy with the annoying voice - Turles´ disdain for them hinted that both probably had been as week as Garana. No, what kept coming back on Vegeta´s thoughts was Sepsi´s mention about the two mysterious, strong signals that had showed up and disappeared. After hearing their talk, Vegeta checked on the scouter every once in a while, but he couldn´t detect anything, either. Stranger yet, Turles didn´t seem surprised at this.  _"So they can control their kis at the point they can´t be detected?"_  he had said simply. Almost as if he expected that. 

Vegeta couldn´t help but associating this to the fact that he couldn´t be detected, too. Scouters didn´t get too weak signals, unless you set them for this. Rarely someone did it.  It didn´t worth the trouble of losing itself on the zillion of signals of every weak form of life around; back when Vegeta still served Freeza, there were some rumors of producing scouters that would caught only kis above 100. Something had toned down his own ki so he wasn´t even able to fly.  _"What Freeza... and his scientists... have done with me? He wouldn´t punish me more even if he had me locked up in one of his torture chambers forever!"_  

Without any apparent reason, his heart raced, beating so hard that it started to hurt. Cold and clammy sweat grew on his bare back, caused by a sudden, unexplained feeling of panic, as Vegeta´s sight began to blur. If his tail hadn´t instinctively wrapped around his support, he would have fallen. Quickly, he grabbed the branch with both hands desperately. Those panic attacks came whenever he tried to raise his ki or thought too hard the reason why he couldn´t use it. Vegeta was sure that had something to do either with his sleep at the regeneration tank or his hibernation into the pod; but he never could go too far in his thoughts without feeling that terror, followed by a strong feeling of weakness. Sometimes he fainted, just like after his despaired ranting at the top of the waterfall.  

"Not now..."he moaned through clenched teeth, trying to calm down and regain control of his body "Not now..." 

His panic increased, when he remembered that Freeza´s monotous ranting would come soon to flood his mind. It always haunted his head whenever the attack became stronger, like this.  Vegeta tried to force himself not to think of it, but that just make the terror surrounding him stronger. The wood cracked ominously under his clenched fingers. 

 "I´m not giving in this time! Leave me alone!" he mumbled, his eyes shutting tight, to keep the dazedness from taking him totally.   

The scouter beeped. 

Vegeta´s eyes snapped open. He was still gripping the about-to-break branch, but the sound distracted him enough to shoo that terrible sickness away, almost in a sudden. Four ki signals moved down there on the ground, towards his tree. Very carefully, since he was still a little dazed, Vegeta embraced the trunk and slowly climbed down to a safer branch a few meters below. His sharp ears detected growls and a hard gallop, besides a few laughings. They were still too far from his spot, but they´d clearly would be coming soon. Feeling better, Vegeta climbed down the tree for a few meters, stood on a branch full of leaves and hid among them, leaving only his eyes uncovered. 

The gallop thundered closer and closer. _"A tetrahorn"_ , Vegeta recognized the sound  _"Those paws sound too light to belong to a langosaur."_

 

******

 A scream coming from above caused an intense movement on the bushes standing behind a huge, black rock. A shaved head with a nose less face emerged from the leaves and looked sternly up on the sky. 

 

At least as sternly as it´s possible for someone who just woke up.

 

Up there, the silhouette of a pterodactyl, or something alike, took something kicking and squirming into its claws. Krillin sighed, both relieved and a little embarrassed for having slept on his watching turn. 

 

It had been a long night, or so he had felt. Having no clock, Krillin couldn´t figure out if the nights on that planet were longer than Earth´s, or if boredom caused him that impression. At the last afternoon, he and Gohan had taken the dragon balls using one of Bulma´s flying machines, to a piece of woods the farthest away from the hiding place they had chosen for their two weakest companions. After burying all the spheres, they put the black rock on them to hide the messed earth on the ground, and built for themselves a small shelter with bushes. For Gohan´s suggestion, they also built a few traps with cipos and branches, which the kid had once learned with a group of strayed children that ran from an orphanage.  _"Even if the pirates can fly, they´ll eventually have to step on the ground, sometime",_  he reasoned.

 

Gohan had woken up, too. 

 

"W-What´s up?" he mumbled, sitting and rubbing his eyes groggily.

 

"It´s all right." Krillin reassured him "I got scared by a scream, but it was just a... pterodactyl, I guess, having its breakfast."

 

"Really?" now totally awaken, the kid opened up his eyes. Standing up, he spied the sky through the bushes, hoping that the flying creature was still around. Of course it wasn´t, so Gohan sit again, sighing in disappointment.

 

"It´s just like home. There are always pterodactyls and giant birds flying over our house. Daddy likes watching the nests to see the babies born, but Mom never allowed me to go with him. She´s very afraid of the dinosaurs and says often that Mount Paoz is a dangerous place to raise a child",  Gohan ranted, more out of nostalgia than for conversation, because his friends´ mind looked somewhere else  "But, when Grandpa suggested that we´d move to West City, mom became mad at him. She said that living cost in a city is very, very high, and that there I could have bad companies and become a delinquent." he finished, a confused look in his innocent eyes.

 

As always, Krillin didn´t know what to say about Chi-chi´s contradictions - or Bulma´s, or even Lunch´s, since all the women he knew apparently had came from the same mold. 

 

"Well... your mother worries about what´s better for you", he began diplomatically "Maybe too much. Not all the youngsters who live in big cities become delinquents."

 

Krillin just hoped that someday he could find a girl who wasn´t tyranical or complicated. A sweet, nice young woman, who would be simple but also pretty and smart... Grudngly, he shook off the dream. That wasn´t the moment for it.

 

"You should sleep a little more," he offered, to change the subject "No one has come yet for the dragon balls, but it´s a matter of time."

 

"Another reason for me to stay awake!" the little half-Saiyan exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, his small fists clenched for whatever came for them. His stomach growled, breaking his heroic stance.

 

"I´m hungry", he moaned sheepishly.

 

"Now that you said it, I´m hungry, too. Let´s see what´s left from our 'dinner'. "Krillin said with a smile, as they both sat again and opened their packs.

 

  There were two misshapen sandwiches and a fruit left, which they divided. It was one of the fruits that they had picked up in the woods at the last day, before finding the two pirates standing near the ship. Gohan had learned with Piccolo how to recognize poisonous plants, during his training.  _"Always check if the leaves and fruits have teeth marks or worm holes, brat"_  his mentor used to say  _"If they´re not touched, better not touching them."_  Gohan also learned in the books that most animals and plants that are too bright-colored are poisonous, too. Both these guides also worked with animals and plants of other planets, apparently. The fruit tasted good, but the boy caught himself craving for an apple, which increased his homesickness. He was grateful when Krillin broke the silence.

 

"I hope that Bulma has finished the signal blocker." the monk commented, a small piece of sandwich still in his mouth "We´re lucky that no one has come for our dragon balls yet."

 

Gohan blinked, astonished. He didn´t think of that since he had woken up.

 

"I don´t think it´s luck", he stated, looking too serious for his six years "If they can detect the signals of the spheres out there in the space like us, they can do it here, even under the rock and all this earth. They must be busy with something else." 

 

Fortunately, Krillin´s last portion of food was very small, or he would have suffocated. Hurriedly, he gulped some water from his bottle, his big eyes reflecting the same worry that his younger friend.

 

"Bulma", he muttered, reaching for a walkie-talkie in his pack. The young woman had warranted that the small radio thing was safe, because it operated in a frequency lower than the pirates´ scouters.Or so she guessed. 

 

"Hello? Hello? Oolong?" he called, using the walk - talkie like a cell phone. Realizing his mistake, he quickly correct himself "Monk for Small Ham. Monk for Small Ham. Can you hear me, Small Ham? Roger."  

 

They heard nothing but some static and a soft sound that suggested someone was around snoring. 

 

"Oolong" Krillin called a little louder, restraining himself because a scream could get unwished attentions. Unluckily, Gohan forgot that.

 

"OOLONG!! WAKE UUUUP!!!"  his screech stung Krillin´s poor ears and scared away a few birds that were hunting worms around the rock. From the walkie-talkie came a strong thud, like a heavy object hitting the floor. Then, after some seconds of suspense, a very angry voice almost made the poor monk drop the radio.

 

"How do you dare to interrupt the sleep of a pure, beautiful lady screaming like that? Do you know what time is it? I spent the entire night awake and when I finally could sleep, you almost broke my neck..."

 

"I´m sorry, Bulma-san," Gohan cut her off quick, because his friend was too stunned to say anything "We were worried that the pirates could have found you two."

 

"Nonsense! We´re perfectly safe here." Bulma´s voice now sounded amused, though there was still some irritation in it.

 

"Good", Krillin mumbled, his voice finally returning "But why do you have the walkie-talkie instead of Oolong?"  
  
"He must have left it on my table while I was sleeping. I´m not surprised. He always was an irresponsible boy. So, when will you come here to get the machine? I´m waiting for you guys since last afternoon."

 

"Afternoon?" Krillin stuttered "But you said you spent the entire night awake."

 

The boys heard something that sounded suspiciously as a sigh.

 

"Not because of the blocker. It just took me a couple of hours to finish it. After that, I began another new project, and it was so exciting that I didn´t notice the hours passing." Bulma reassured absently.  She probably heard the boys falling on their backs through her walk- talkie, because her light tone became irritated again "You should have remembered to call yesterday, too! I´m always the one who has to think of everything."

 

_"And she calls Oolong irresponsible"_ , Krillin thought, fighting against his will of giving Bulma a piece of his mind. It would be stupid, to not mention useless, having an argument now.

 

"See you later then. Roger." he finished in a dry tone, before turning the walkie- talkie off and looking at his young companion "Gohan, stay put. I´ll get the sign blocker" the kid just answered him with a sad, begging look, and Krillin forced a smile "Don´t worry, I´ll be back soon."

 

"It´s not that", Gohan explained, his eyes landing self-consciously at his feet "It´s just... I think it would be better if I went to see Bulma and you stayed here, instead. She´ll have to explain how the machine works and there´s also this thing that kept her awake last night..." 

 

What Gohan politely didn´t say, but the monk could read between the lines, was: _"I´ll understand better Bulma´s instructions because I know more science than you."_  The young man didn´t get offended at this because it was true - actually, he smiled at the offer.  Krillin wasn´t absolutely int the mood to listen Bulma complaining about Oolong´s antics and boasting how beautiful and smart she was, while ranting about boring, technical subjects. However, the idea of leaving Gohan flying all alone poked his conscience.

 

"Your mother would kill me if she knew I let you walk all alone in the woods, with all these pirates around" he hesitated.

 

"Mom will never know. Anyway, she´d also kill you if you left me all alone here. And we can´t leave the dragon balls unprotected." Gohan stated in a firm tone, his former shyness quickly melting away. 

 

There wasn´t how to argue against that. Krillin was about to say yes when they both felt five kis coming towards them. Evil ones, of course. They froze in their places instantaneously. No one of the two need to tell the other to stay quiet. Soon, the sounds of a hunting party started to came to their ears. Screams, laughs, an animal´s growlings and the strong thunder of a gallop.

 

_"They´re even louder than Mom when she´s angry,"_  Gohan thought disapprovingly _"I wonder if they never received any training, to behave like that when the enemy can be around? If Piccolo-san was here, he would be horrified."_

 

Now they could understand what the voices were saying.   _"This one is mine! Don´t try to escape, silly beast! Your claws will be a great adornment on the wall of my bunker." "And what makes you think that Juice will let you keep them?"  "Don´t kill it yet, Coffee! You´re always a party pooper!"  "Tea´s right. Let´s have more fun, this time."_

 

Both Gohan and Krillin cringed at the word "fun". A growl of pain, followed by laughs and encouraging screams, confirmed to both that the pirates weren´t exactly playing hopscotch with the poor animal they had captured. Krillin saw Gohan´s look hardening and nodded negatively to him.

 

"I know what you´re feeling, but we can´t expose ourselves," he whispered, since the group was too far yet (and too noisy) to hear.

 

"They´re too close" Gohan whispered back "I can distract them, take them away from the dragon balls."

 

"They´re too many", Krillin dismissed the offer in a definitive tone "And one of them is stronger than the others - you know that. Better stay here and pray that they´ll be too distracted by the..."

 

He didn´t finish it. Gohan had taken off. 

 


	7. The Hunting Surprise Party

  
  
It was really a tetrahorn, as Vegeta thought - an adult, splendid female, though a little small than usual. She had four short horns protruding for her head, and a thick, turtle-like shell all over her back. It was precisely her shell that most part of the pirates´laser shoots hit, causing the lasers to bounce back and the hunters to constantly dodge them, cursing and laughing. Vegeta watched all the movement, from his shelter under the foliages of the lowest branch he dared to perch upon. Occasionally, he took advantage of all tge rustle and bustle on the ground to jump to another tree, so he wouldn´t miss a moment of the show, as the same time he kept himself out of the tetrahorn´s way. Although tetrahorns preferred dodging the trees, they were strong enough to put them down, if necessary. 

With luck, maybe one of those pirates would die accidentaly, killed by the tetrahorn or by his clumsy fellows, and Vegeta could get his clothes. Maybe even him could kill one of the weakest guys. Despite such cold-hearted intentions, however, he frequently caught himself having fun to watch the pirates´ antics. _"That would be funny if it wasn´t so shameful to look"_ he thought, a smile threatening to lift the corner of his mouth _"I would have killed that beast in just a few minutes, with my bare hands. They can fly and are carrying weapons, and still they´re having all that trouble!"_

The pirates´ troubles were constantly increased by funny incidents. A short, plumpy, green-skinned alien boldly jumped on the beast´s way, just to be suddenly yanked by a leg and float helplessly on the air. His colleagues´ shock was quickly replaced by laughs, when everybody noticed that the plumpy little pirate´s foot had been caught by the loop of a rope hanging from a tree. Tidaba, as the others called him, got loosen with a shot of his laser gun and sullenly rejoined his fellows. The others started making fun with Tidaba, calling him "footloop", but the jokes silenced when more two pirates were caught in a nother trap - a hole hidden under a mount of leaves, this time.

"Don´t step on the ground! And don´t touch the trees, either!" warned a tall, dark-skinned alien, apparently the leader of the group. He hadn´t a nose and his lips were thick and white, like Kyui´s. 

"Too bad the beast didn´t fall here. That would have spared us a lot of trouble" mumbled one of the almost-fallen pirates, glaring at the hole. He belonged to the same race of the late Garana, though his wrinkled skin was pink. The other almost-fallen pirate, a purple-scaled guy with a fin on his head, called the pink one "lazy", but Tidaba remarked that probably it was the savage who had planted the traps. 

"Savages have small brains," he insisted "That gray thing inside their heads doesn´t get big enough because they don´t know anything but beasts and plants. Only a pinhead would think that guys like us would be trapped by such a primeval..."

"You are the pinhead here! Have you turned off your scouter? " interrupted an orange alien with funny red bumps covering his head, where there supposed to be hair. He was as tall as Vegeta - not that brawny, but his clothes certainly would fit, the prince thought. Unaware of the greedy eyes upon him, the orange guy barreled on "The spheres´ signals are getting stronger. It´s obv..."

"Shut up, Tea!" the dark leader cut him off "We´re missing the brute!" 

He was right. Taking advantage of the confusion caused by the second trap, the tetrahorn ran faster, towards  a bigger space between the trees, probably leading to a clearance. The group of pirates quickly gathered; at a wave of their leaver´s hand, they separated again in two smaller groups, one of three people and the other of four. Vegeta barely could follow all their movements, but suspected that they were planning to get together in front of the tetrahorn, barring her way. "That might work... if I only didn´t know how tetrahorns react when something stands on their way. Even if they´re stronger than her, they´ll get a nice surprise." he thought, smirking as he hurried into jumping on the trees next to the events, even risking to be noticed. That would be funny.

But Vegeta didn´t have any fun at all about what happened next. Noticing that her persecutors were quickly getting closer, the already tired female found a new strenght in her despair and jumped forward, knocking off one of the closest pirates. Since the space between the trees was gradually getting bigger, she fastened her pace and started to leave the pirates behind; suddenly, however, her front paws sunk and she fell forward, so violently that she almost tumbled.   
She had found another hole, or rather, a big trench covered by branches, earth and leaves. Projected to catch people, the trench was too small for the tetrahorn´s entire body, but it was large enough to get half part of her body stuck. The animal buffed and leaned on her hind legs, trying to get an impulse to loose herself, but it was too late. The leader was hovering above her.

"This one is mine!"he gloated, as if he had built the trap himself "Don´t try to escape, silly beast! Your claws will be a great adornment on the wall of my bunker." With a ki blast, he cut off her right hind leg.

"And what makes you think that Juice'll let you keep them?" the pink alien yelled in order to be heard above the animal´s cries of pain. Ignoring his question, the rest of the group was already coming as they shouted in entusiasm, eager to take part on the killing. Coffee pulled the tetrahorn out of the hole, since she couldn´t run without a leg.

"Don´t kill it yet, Coffee! You´re always a party pooper!" the orange guy protested.

"Tea´s right. Let´s have more fun, this time" Purple Scales agreed, before kicking the tetrahorn´s head and break two of her horns. The pink pirate, called Baina by the others, tried to cut off the animal´s other hind leg with his laser, but the thing hanged loosely by a bloody piece of thick skin. Laughing at his friend´s inhability, Tidaba finished the task chopping the skin with the side of his hand.The poor female howled so much that someone suggested to get some vines so they could tie her snout closed.

  
Vegeta watched the torture boringly and cold-heartedly.  _"Seeing that I realize that I am actually nice to my preys. Never took so long to kill them."_ he thought. He was disapointed at the way the hunting had finished. Nobody had died accidentally and there was no way for him to kill Tea to get his clothes without being spotted and hunted by the rest of the gang. But what worried him most were the spheres. Even having Turles´ orders to not go after them, he didn´t believe... uh? What was that?

His peripherical vision had caught a movement on the trail the tetrahorn had turned to run. Like in a cue, Baina also noticed it and pointed at its direction, getting the others´ attention. Standing at the entrance of the clearing was a boy. 

  
During a few instants, nobody said a word. It was a small boy, even smaller than Tidaba, the shortest member of the group. He had black. straight hair, cut in a funny way that reminded Vegeta the half-fruits that he used as cups. What impressed them most was the boy´s strange outfit: a sort of baggy, purple, sleevless jumpsuit, with a red belt and a big, cloud-like collar, the Namekian trademark. 

  
 _"That boy... he´s dressed as a namekuseijin, but he´s an humanoid like me!"_ Vegeta thought. He was as amazed as the pirates  _"Why would a boy of another race be walking around dressed like that? Unless..."_   The idea looked so absurd that Vegeta initially refused, but it was the only explanation he could find  _"I heard the nameks where generous, but at the point of adopting a child of another race?"_

Past the initial stupor, Tea broke the silence with a wicked laugh. 

"Check it out! At last one of the namekuseijin has showed its ugly face." he teased.

"Namekuseijin? With that skin and hair?" Baina questioned sceptically.

"Must have got tired of being ugly, so he put some make up and a wig on. It didn´t work" the purple guy with the fin on his head added, making the others crack up.

Ignoring the laughs and insults, Gohan walked silently towards the poor mutilated animal. The earth all over its head and part of its body, and the destroyed borders of the trench told him the whole story. He and Krillin had opened the hole last afternoon, taking advantage that nobody had came after the spheres yet. Gohan had insisted on that. Since ki blasts could call the enemies´ attention, they had used trunks as shovels, and then covered the whole with a grate of small branches, covering it with earth and leaves. Feeling a tickle in his eyes, Gohan took a deep breath. He wouldn´t allow himself to cry in front of those monsters.  _"I´m so sorry",_  he apologized to the ailing beast, even knowing that most probably the creature wouldn´t read his thoughts  _"This was not for you. Those guys who hurt you were the ones who supposed to have fallen there."_  Despite his remorse and anger, however, Gohan was curious, too. "  _It was surprising enough to find dinosaurs in Namek, but this small planet has some, too, though they looked slightly different from both the saurians of Namek and Earth. This one looks like a triceratops, but has a shell, just like a turtle. Apparently, some species are repeated throughout the universe, with small variations..."_ He held out a hand to touch the creature´s head.

  
The pirate that had joked about Gohan´s "make-up" gave a step forward and slapped the kid´s hand off.

  
"Don´t touch our prey, brat!" he hissed.

Gohan backed away as he rubbed his hand, more in shock than anger, as the other pirates laughed again. The only two that didn´t laugh were the wrinkled pink guy and the big one with brown skin, both looked thoughtful. Gohan saw Pink Guy opening his mouth, but the orange one with the bumps on his head silenced him with a wave of hand. The boy stood put, holding the offended hand as he     mentally his foes.  " _Purple scales,_   _Pink Wrinkles and Green Fishie aren´t a big deal"_ , he thought _" I can defeated them easily, but I´m not sure about the Orange Bumps... and not about Big Brown, too. I should have listed Mr. Krillin´s advice."_  
Unexpectedly, Coffee put one hand on the purple pirate and shove him off.

  
"Leave the boy alone, Dromel" he scolded in slightly amused tone "He reminds me when I was little.

   
Coffee´s fellows rolled their eyes and sighed, but he was suddenly too absorbed by his old memories to notice that. 

  
"Whenever my clan brought a kill to our home, I was around, trying to get some pieces of the beast for my collection"  he winked at Gohan "Y´know, pieces of hide, scales, bones, this kind of stuff, since I couldn´t even dream of having the teeth and claws."he barreled on, in a dreamy voice, his eyes distant "But my siblings always took my gains and kicked me away. I began to fly before learning to use my ki!"  he laughed, as if that was a happy memory, then gave a few steps at  Gohan´s direction, making the boy backpedal a few steps. 

  
"Won´t you make a deal with us?" Coffee proposed, as he leaned friendly towards the kid.

  
"Deal?" Gohan repeatedly as he blinked confusely. In the back of his mind, showed up a small hope that guy wasn´t as evil as the others in his group.  
Baina tried to speak again, but Tea muffled him with a hand.

"You´ll show us where the orange spheres are and I´ll give you a piece of this animal, since you like it so much."Coffee offered "How about a little piece of its hide? Or the point of its tail?"

"Master Turles told us to not look for the spheres, Coffee!" Dromel protested.

"He told us to not waste our time looking for them" Tea replied with a smirk "He´s not going to be angry if we´ll bring him the balls because we found them under our noses." 

  
"You don´t have to be afraid" Coffee continued to Gohan, in his friendly tone "If we´ll have the balls, everybody wins. My fellows and I can leave this boring planet and your people stays alive. Nobody is going to know that you helped us, and you´ll have a splendid souvenir! What do you say?"

  
Gohan had learned in his books that the primeval races on Earth kept claws, horns, scales and other pieces of the animals they hunted as trophees. The things taken from their hardest won preys were so precious that men used them as amulets or money. But one thing was to read about that,  and the other was to get the fresh- cutten pieces of an animal that was still alive and howling. Gohan was sure that the Earth hunters wouldn´t cut living animals; besides, according to the books, they hunted out of need, not for some diseasy fun, like those pirates.  However, that Coffee guy hadn´t been taught to love nature and living beings just like Gohan. He obviously didn´t think he was doing anything wrong. Despite his hatred, the small demi-Saiyan tried to figure out a way of refusing Coffee´s offer and not offending him.

  
By his turn, Coffee felt that he had offended Gohan with his offering. Well if those orange orbs were as precious as Master Turles hinted, it was just natural that the boy would want much more for them than a mere piece of tail. Grudgingly, the dark-skinned alien crouched and took something from his belt, handing it for the kid. Gohan blinked suspiciously.  At the first sight, he couldn´t figure out what is was, because of all the blood over it. However, he noticed  the thing had a triangular shape, and that the point was curve. There was still some flesh on its largest extremity.

  
It was a claw!

  
"Awesome, huh?" Coffee smiled proudly, misinterpreting Gohan´s horrified look as one of admiration"I bet you never had one of these in your life. Your friends are going to die of jealousy!"  
  
"I think that you little friend is going to die of disgust!" Tea sneered "Every time you offer him a piece of OUR kill, his fat cheeks become greener than Footloop´s. Besides, who do you think that had built all those traps?"

  
Both Tidaba and Dromel gasped in shock. Baina glanced them with disdain, before shoting Tea a resented look.

"I would have said that before, if you had allowed me," he complained.

Frowning, Coffee put the claw back in his belt pouch and slowly straightened up.

"I´m not an idiot, guys." he sighed "Of course I suspected that he, or his people had done the traps. So?  I just wanted to give the kid a reward for helping..."  
"Reward? I am going to give him the reward he deserves!" Tidaba exclaimed. Furiously, he took off towards Gohan, his fists clenching "You miserable little bastard! Your wretched rope almost cut my circulation, and now everybody are calling me Footloop, because of you!! " 

He tried to punch Gohan, but the boy dodged his fist easily,grabbed Tidaba´s arm and spun the little green man on the air for some moments, before tossing him on Coffee´s stomach. The blow took Coffee´s breath off and sent both the pirates sitting on the ground. All of that happened so quickly that the bystanders barely could see anything.

Their scouters started to beep.

“W…wha…”  Tea uttered, unable to say anything else. His companions didn’t do better, for the quick following numbers on their respective devices froze all of them into statues. Clenching his fists white, Gohan screamed at the top of his small lungs. It was useless to keep holding his ki low. He just hoped that Krillin had time enough to move the spheres to a further spot.

Baina´s wrinkles were almost white as the numbers kept going.

“6.000... 8.000... 10.000... AAAHHHH!!!!” he squealed when his old scouter exploded. Screaming in fear, he took off and broke away, taking the direction that he and his companions had came from, after the animal. Nobody paid him attention, because in that right moment, Gohan raised both hands above his head.

“MASENKO!!!!” he roared as he put them down, in front of his body. All the pirates jumped instintictively out of the way, though nobody else thought of doing the same as Baina.

A strong, huge light blinded all of them almost immediately. When they could see again, after a few moments, the pirates realized with surprise that none of them was dead. However, as they soon could notice, their prey didn´t exist anymore. Where once had laid the aghonizing tetrahorn female, there was now a huge, charred crater.

“NOOOOOOO!!!!!!” Coffee howlle as if he was in terrible pain“MY PREY! You dirty little bastard!!”

Rocks floated from the ground and trees shuddered as his own ki started to raise. Prudently. Vegeta slid from his own tree and concealed himself in a bush.

 "I knew I should had killed that brat when I first saw him!" Dromel exclaimed, raising his laser gun to shoot at Gohan.Tea held his arm.

"Don´t. Coffee´s going to avenge on our behalf," he said in a low, calm tone, smirking again "Let´s get the spheres instead."  
Dromel nodded and smirked, too. Tea motioned his hand for the still stunned Tidaba to come with them. Having lost all the will to fight the superstrong boy, the fishy alien promptly joined them and the trio took off.  
Despite his momentaneous shock and fear at Coffee´s reaction, Gohan noticed the movement and turn his head just in time to see the three taking the same directions he had came from.  _"Mr. Krillin! They must have noticed that he´s moving the spheres!"_  
"You´re not leaving!" he yelled, taking off to intercept the trio, but Coffee cut off his retreat.  
"YOU stay here!I´m going to teach you to not destroy people´s property!" he admonished, throwing a big fist towards Gohan.   
The boy dodged the punch and started a serie of punches and kicks at the opponent four times bigger than him.  
"That poor animal wasn´t your property! You and your friends were torturing him!" he yelled back as he dodged Coffee´s blows = one, two, three, four times. The dark giant was strong, but too slow... or maybe he was too blind by anger. Still, Gohan mentally thanked to Guru for having awoken his hidden powers. The boy gave another series of punches, prontly blocked by Coffee. The burly man focused into keeping his guard high; Gohan took the advantage to punch him in the stomach. Coffee bent forward with the pain and Gohan gave him a punch that destroyed the pirate´s scouter and sent him backwards, breaking the trunks of the trees behind him. 

  
Coffee´s broken scouter made Gohan remember how Baina´s had exploded, when he raised his energy and felt a pang of guilt  _"The scouters! I should have destroyed all of them when I had the chance, but I was too worried about the poor dinosaur. Damn it!"_ _  
_He could feel the ki of the three pirates that had flied away, but not Krillin´s. Probably his friend was still hidden and holding his ki. Thinking that he had knocked out Coffee, at least by now, Gohan started to turn around.

His distraction almost costed his life.

  
"CAPUCCINOOOOOOO!!!!!!!" Coffe´s scream echoed at Gohan´s back. The boy turned around again, just to see the pirate´s mouth opened and expelling a huge ki blast at his direction. During the first three seconds, he panicked, reminding of Nappa´s Ka-pah  blast; then something clicked in his brain and he jumped out of the way - almost too late.

  
Coffee´s blast opened kilometers of clearance in the middle of the forest, framed by charred trees. The little demi-Saiyan stared in horror at all the destructing, his mouth open wide, until a raspy, funny sound made him look upon his shoulder. It was a laughter, but instead of usual 'hahaha' was a 'hohoho', like Santa Claus´.

 _"And"_  Gohan thought as he glared to the tall, brawny figure standing with his hands on the waist,   _"it´s the only thing they have in common."_

"You are smart, kid!" Coffee stated in a light, aproving voice "Strong, too. It´s really a shame I´ll have to kill you."   
  
  
***********************************************************************************************************************************************************************  
 **Glossary**

  
Well, Coffee and Tea are obvious, but the other names deserve some explanation because they came from my native language.

Tidaba - "batida" scrambled. It means smoothie, in Portuguese.

Dromel - hidromel, or mead in Portuguese. It´s an alcoholic drink created by fermenting honey with water, probably the oldest alcoholic beverage ever. It was very popular among Romans, Vikings and other ancient people.

Baina - tubaína, a Brazilian soda. Since it´s made with guarana seeds, I found natural that Baina belonged to the same race as Garana (but much more coward).   
  
  
  



	8. Do Angels Exist?

 

****

****

**Do Angels Exist?**

 

 

"Just as I said" Tea gloated, his mouth widening in an unpleasant grin "While that brat was distracting us with his " poor little beast" act, his friends moved the balls to another place."

 

"You already said that"Tidaba mumbled" When we saw the hole".

 

They had just found the three dragonballs left in a hollow tree. The new hiding place wasn't much far from the clearing where they had spotted the mentioned hole minutes ago. It was surrounded by fresh-digged earth, giving hint that someone had just opened it, probably to take something from it. Tidaba observed that it was weird that the so-called "namekuseijin" had concealed the spheres in a place so close to their former hiding place. Tea grudgingly replied that probably the guardian of the balls hadn't time enough to go further with them.  

"Whoever was, just dropped them in this trunk, so we wouldn´t caught him. Or her;" he theorized as he, Tidaba and Dromel flied to the spot signaled by their scouters. "The little brat probably was protecting the spheres guardian when our hunting party got too close from their hiding place."

 

And now they were there, standing in front of the last balls left. The pieces their chiefs treasured so much. Tea hoped to be greatly rewarded for that. With luck, perhaps he received some of that magic food master Turles was giving to Coffee...

 

A gush of wind brought them the unpleasant smell of burning wood, caused by Coffee´s favorite attack. None of the group commented the fact that the misterious "brat"- Gohan - who was fighting Coffee had survived, according to the scouters, but that gave them goosebumps. Especially to Tidaba. As he reminded how carelessly he had attacked the little monster, his green scales became almost white.

 

"Master Turles will have a fit if they´ll destroy the forest" Dromel commented with some concern"He was so..."

  
"Will you go back and ask them to stop?" Tea cut him off as he grabbed two spheres and tucked each under one arm "We must leave now!"  he added, shoting TIdaba a look.

 

Grudgingly, the fish-like alien picked up the last sphere as Tea took off, his red eyes scanning nervously the forest and meadows surrounding them. 

 

"Why such a hurry?" Dromel sneered, not leaving the floor "Whoever was with the balls has gone, right? You said that yourself."

"The friend of that brat might come back with reinforcements at any moment! I heard Master Turles saying that our scouters can't detect them because they can power down." 

 

Tidaba gaped at him.

 

"Wait! You´re saying that the friends of that little monster might be watching us right now and we don´t know?!" he rebuked his orange colleague in disbelief.

 

As if in a cue, a serie of numbers started running in their scouters, hinting that a strong ki was around. Panicking, Tidaba dropped the dragonball he was holding and jumped in the air.

 

"You brought us to AN AMBUSH! And you call us stupid..." noticing the horrified looks of his colleagues, he trailled off and looked behind.

 

A huge ball of energy was coming in his direction. Quickly, Tidaba and Tea flied each for one side, dodging it easily. Dromel just crouched and covered his head with his hands, even though he was out of reach. For their surprise, the ball flied past them and kept going, as if it didn´t give them a damn. Tea and TIdaba exchanged a confused look and glanced around, expecting for more.

 

Seeing that nothing had happened, Dromel joined them in the air, a bunch of fresh gibes ready to be spilled by his saw-teethed mouth.

 

"Pff. That was the big danger you two were expecting, big wimps?"he started "I can´t wait to tell everyo..."

  
As if it had heard Dromel´s remark, the big energy ball raised a few meters, drawing a big curve in the air. Then, it split in three smaller balls, which charged towards the pirates. And unlike their mother ball, these ones came very, very fast.

 

"OH SHIIIIIIIIIIT!"  Dromel's scream resumed the general feeling. 

 

The trio split, too, each flying in one direction the faster they could. Tidaba and Dromel were soon caught and disintegrated by the two first balls. A little faster than his cohorts, Tea was able to fly for a few meters carrying the two  precious dragonballs. When he finally realized it was hopeless, he dropped them, just some seconds before the painful, blinding light reached him.

 

*****

 

Gohan was at his wits' end. He was getting exhausted while Coffee still looked in high spirits - and worse, apparently unsensitive at most of Gohan´s blows. _"I have to go and see Bulma",_  the kid thought desperately _"But if I try to leave, he´ll come after me and try to kill me with that mouth blow again. How do I get this guy out of my hair? "_  


 

He had no time to think of anything else, because Coffee charged on him, laughing as a playful child. Gohan barely could block one punch after another in time. He noticed Coffee had left his guard temporarily open and tried to fight back, but the giant unexpectedly kicked him in the chest and onto the trunk of a tree, leaving Gohan breathless. For a few instants, the boy just laid against the tree, struggling to get his air back; then he felt Coffee´s ki raising and opened his eyes. 

 

"CAPUC..." Coffee was opening his mouth wide to use his special attack again. 

 

Gohan raised his hands and shot a quick kamehame-ha to block the attack, just as he had watched his father do to Nappa´s, a few months ago.

 

"HAAAAA!!!!!

 

"...CINOOOO!!!!" 

 

The energies of Gohan and Coffee´s attacks met violently and fought each other for a few seconds, before blowing out. Vegeta ran away, but was caught by the shockwave and sent away along with the pieces of trees, stones and other things around the two fighters.  His bare backside collided against the debris that already filled the floor. A thick piece of a branch hit him in the middle of the legs, expelling the air of his lungs. He kept himself in time to not scream, revealing his position, but he wasn´t able to move, either, even after the dust clouds vanished and revealed two heaving, exhausted silhouettes.

 

Fortunately, they were both too focused on each other to notice anything else in their battlefield. Coffee was still on his feet, but no longer was the immaculate pirate of a minute ago: most of his armor had been destroyed and his clothes were in tatters, revealing a few yellow-bleeding scratches. Save for this, he still looked fine. Gohan, by turn, hadn't suffered the effects of the explosion that much, but he obviously wouldn´t be able to stand much longer. Clenching his teeth to not moan, Vegeta painfully crawled behind of a pile of charred trunks and branches. Besides the hard blow on his dangly bits, his body was plenty of scratches and cuts produced by flying debris, but he didn´t feel any. Even the throbbing between his legs couldn´t be compared to the excruciating pain in his soul. 

 

His scouter was broken now, but its last register had been about 20.000...  that was so much more than Vegeta ever had, even in his best shape!  
 _  
How... how that is possible? How can an unexperient brat and a moron have gotten a power that even I wasn't able to reach...  THAT power supposed to be mine!"_  


 

During his years slaving for Freeza, the only thing that made Vegeta´s life bearable was his faith in his own potential. He always had fought in the front. Several times he had almost been killed. Not only because he risked himself too much, but because Zarbon and Dodoria did their very best into convincing Freeza to send Vegeta to the most dangerous missions. It was their way of showing to the Saiyan prince that they could do to him whatever they pleased. There were also those times when Vegeta had been punished under some stupid pretext - though that didn´t happen too much, because Freeza STILL didn´t want to loose his favorite "monkey pet".  Fools...  Instead of breaking him, they had just increased Vegeta´s strength and hate. And there was also the living hell that his diary training was.

 

Most of Freeza´s soldiers trained just when they were obliged. Save Ginyu troop, anyone else who worked out voluntarily was followed by a rain of insults,and sass whenever he entered the gym. When it came to the despised Saiyans, this unpleasant rain became a storm. Vegeta´s self- control was tested everyday and he also had to keep Radditz and Nappa - especially Nappa - from reacting to the insults. It was a remark from Guldo, in a day when Vegeta had been pushing himself especially hard, that alerted the prince he could be drawing too much attention on himself.

 

_"Why having so much trouble? If it wasn't an absurd, I'd think that you´re trying to become stronger than Master Freeza."_

 

Nappa stupidly opened his mouth and almost spilled the beans. Fortunately, Jeice and other bystanders started laughing at Guldo´s foolishness. As if a mere Saiyan monkey would dream of surpassing the Great Freeza! That was really absurd! Guldo´s suspect was taken as a joke and apparently forgotten.

 

_"Was it, really? What if Guldo and his cohorts had been following me and watched my secret trainings?"_

 

From that day on, Vegeta tried to not push himself too hard in his training at Freeza´s quarters. Only when he was out on space, along with Nappa and Radditz, he was free to give all his might. Initially, he made Nappa and Radditz fight him, together; but soon it became obvious that Vegeta was already much stronger than the other two Saiyans. So he started training alone, at every precious minute of the few free moments he had away of Planet Ice. Every small, slow progress put him closer and closer to his goal; that made him . One day he would be the strongest being in the universe... and all those who humiliated him would die painfully!

 

Because of his excessive self-confidence, this day never came.

 

_"Everything I fought so hard to win has gone and I don't even know how that happened."_

 

In spite of this, however, he didn't gave up. After many fruitless, painful tries, it became evident that it would be dangerous for Vegeta to keep forcing himself, so he started to train only physically. Even without the strength obtained with ki raising, he was stronger, agiler and faster than any animal in his prison planet, and as time past these habilities improved. However, no matter how hard he trained, nothing would give him back what Vegeta had lost. More than loosing hope of being rescued, it was the lost hope of being powerful again that slowly ate him inside and made him careless of himself for so long.

 

_"Even as a child, I was much stronger than I am now."_

 

And now he knew that he never had been nothing, even in his best shape. All pain, patience and efforts had been in vain.

 

 

A part of himself wanted to die right now. Vegeta wished that Coffee used again his mouth attack, disintegrating both him and the blasted kid who had put him to such a great shame. At least the universe never would now that the former Prince of the Saiyans was now just a weak vermin, good for nothing but crawling in the mud. His stronger, rational part, however, called him a coward and stupid. It argued that Vegeta shouldn't allow emotions to sweep him away. As hateful as that brat was, he could be his salvation.

 

But this same side of him knew that probably the child would die soon. And now it screamed with despair.

 

Gohan felt his strength leaving slowly.  _"This... this monster... is he undestructible? He´s worse than Nappa and Turles!"_   That was all he had the time to think before Coffee charged on him again. 

 

"Ho! Ho! Why did you stop? Let's go! Now we´re really heating up!" the big bully egged on as he tossed a new series of punches at Gohan.

 

Gohan dodged to left then to right; then, he ducked to avoid a kick that probably would break his neck. Taking advantage that Coffee had left his guard opened, he pushed the giant´s groin with all of his remaining strenght. Coffee bent forward, his mouth opened wide, but his howl was promptly muffled by a sudden, strong headbutt. Gohan felt, more than heard, a sound like rocks rubbing onto each others and realized he had broken Coffee´s teeth. Not wasting time, he kicked Coffee´s stomach.

 

For Gohan´s total shock, Coffee´s big hand grabbed his ankle. He hadn't even the time to yelp in surprise, because at the next instant he was spinning in the air, just like he had done to Tidaba, the green pirate. But, instead of tossing Gohan away, Coffee kept spinning and spinning him, as he laughed childlishly.  Until he heard a very suspicious sound. Quickly, Coffee lifted Gohan up, holding both the boy´s ankles with a hand, and stretched his arm as much as he could, so Gohan wouldn´t vomit on the remains of his armor. When the sickening sounds stopped, Coffee bent to pick some leaves from a nearby bush and used them to clean Gohan´s face. He stared with curiosity at the child´s pale, chubby face, at Gohan´s spinning, stunned eyes. If Goku´s son wasn't so dazed, he could have noticed a hint of pity into the giant´s face.

 

"That was closhe. Can we continue?" Coffee asked, his voice hissing through the holes between his teeth. 

 

He swang Gohan´s body slightly, to get his attention. Not having any reaction, Coffee looked disapointed, like a child realizing that his favorite toy is out of batteries.

 

"If you can't fight anymore, I´ll have to kill you. I heally didn't want to do that yet... even if you've deshtroyed my prey."

 

That _"I´ll have to kill you"_  reached Gohan´s ears. He was still a little dazed, but noticed something important: he no longer felt the kis of Coffee´s colleagues - specifically, the three who had broken off for the dragonballs. _"Krillin san must have killed them_ ",  he thought _"I can´t feel his ki... he must have flied away on the bike Bulma gave us... Bulma! She's waiting for us! I have to get rid of this monster at any cost!"_  


 

With determination, Gohan started to rock to-and-fro. Thinking that the kid was trying to break free. Coffee tightened his grip a bit as he watched Gohan´s struggles with amusement. Joining both fists under his head (he was still upside down), Gohan started powering up to fire another mazenko. 

 

  
_"I just_ _hope I´ll have enough energy left"_ , he thought.  

 

He raised his fists to Coffee´s face... just to have both grabbed by Coffee´s free hand. 

 

"Not thish tshime, you little rashcal!" Coffee gloated.

 

Gohan screamed in despair and pain; he felt his hands getting crushed and now he was completely .Holding the kids´ hands and feets tight, Coffee lifted him up above himself and stretched his arms. He pulled Gohan down, so the kid´s stomach landed exactly at the top of Coffee´s head.

 

"Thish ish for breaking my teesh!"  he gloated. 

 

The child´s scream rang into Vegeta´s ears. 

 

  
_"Stupid little scoundrel... "_  the Saiyan thought coldly _"he could have disposed of this moron of a thousand different ways. What a waste of power."_  


 

Putting his small opponent down, Coffee backed away a few steps, watching as Gohan clutched on his pained stomach, his knees folded in a fetal position.

 

"Aaah... owwww....  it hurts....  hurts..."

 

"Don't be shuch a baby. If I really wanted to hurt you, Id would have broken you shpine!"Coffee rebuked"But I admit that you´re  very tough for a kid." 

 

He stood still, hands on hips, watching thoughtfully as his little foe embraced himself on the devastated ground.

 

"Well...  we had a good fight, but now I have to go or Shuice will chew me out." Coffe said aphologetically " But don't worry... you're not going to feel anyfffing. I'm going to turn you into dussht, shust like the beasht you deshtroyed."

 

 

All Gohan could do was clenching his teeth tighter. He felt unable even to take his hand from his stomach. He just closed his eyes, fighting the imminent tears. _"I´m sorry, Dad, Piccolo-san, Krillin-san, everyone...   I just could'nt be strong enough."_  


 

As an answer, he suddenly felt a very well-known evergy close too him. His eyes snapped open in shock - unfortunately.

 

"TAIYO KEEEN!!!"  Krillin screamed.

 

Everything disappeared into a intense burst of light. A few steps away, Gohan could hear Coffee making a big fuss about having become blind. Judging by the thumps and thuds Gohan heard, the brown-skinned giant probably had hit some of the trees they had put down during their fight. Gohan was temporarily blind, too, but he didn't panick. He struggled painfully to get up, but this was unnecessary, because two strong arms picked him up from the floor and carried him away.

 

A few instants later, he felt the hands putting him down. Slowly, the anxious face of his big friend and pal showed up in front of his eyes.

 

"M...Mr Krillin! " Gohan whispered, because they weren't still out of Coffee´s reach "I-I thought that you had ran away. The dragonballs..."

 

"Chhh..." the monk cut him off "I dropped them into a holel. With luck, nobody will come after them so soon."

 

"The pirates knew all the time that the spheres were around," Gohan said in a depressed tone "Turles told his goons to not look for the dragonballs. He´s playing to us..."

 

Krillin frowned at his, but didn't answer. Making sure there weren't any witnesses around, he tossed a capsule on the floor to pop up the minibike Bulma had lend him. The small vehicle had only one seat, but it had a sort of box for luggage attached behind. They had used it to carry the dragonballs way without using ki, so the pirates´ scouters wouldn't detect them. 

 

"We´ll think of this later," Krillin said, as he helped Gohan entering the luggage compartiment " First, we´ll have to take care of you." 

 

Thanks to Capsule Corps excelence in machinery, the minibike wasn´t much noisy. It would be needed very acurate ears to notice its smooth, bee-like humming among the noises typical from woods; besides, Krillin´s senses would help him to avoid any hunting parties that could be wandering around. Unluckily, the bike was very slow. Even by foot, jumping and scamping, Krillin and Gohan would go much faster. Gohan felt that he was slowing them both, but there was nothing he could do now. Despite the aches running through his entire body, he was feeling sleepy. Gohan was already dozing when he felt an abrupt halt and heard Krillin mumbled: "Damn! I can't believe that!"

  
"What? Are we there yet?" Gohan questioned with groggy concern.

 

"I wish, but no. And we´re getting out of gas, too. Do you think you can walk?"

 

"Yes. I´m feeling much better now" Gohan stated sound more entusiasted that he actually felt. He stood up and tried to jump out of the luggage box, but his legs got stuck in the border, making him fall. Luckily, Krillin was fast and grabbed Gohan´s shoulder before the kid dived-nose on the ground.

 

"Better leaving the jumps for later", the monk gibed as he pulled Goha back on his feet"You´re all bruised, don't forget." and turned the bike into a capsule again.

 

Despite Gohan´s insistence that he was fine, after half an hour walking it become pretty clear that he needed so much more than a few resting minutes. His stomach was hurting again, now of hunger. Besides the wasted breakfast and the last drops of water from Krillin´s canteen, Gohan hadn't consumed anything through the entire day. Besides, his face was getting swollen and red.The leaves Coffee had rubbed on him probably had triggered some kind of allergy.

 

Krillin had to support Gohan a shoulder, or the boy would have fallen on the ground. Carefully, the monk leaded his weakened friend to a big tree and helped him to lay among its roots.

 

"Gohan, this is silly", he rebuked the kid softly "I know you don't want to slow us down, but forcing yourself like this will just make things worse. The head-blow you received in your stomach must have hurt you more we thought. And there´s your face, too."

 

"My belly is aching and I´m feeling sick, but I think that's because I'm hungry"Gohan replied"That gorilla made me throw up everything I ate this morning. He rubbed some leaves on my face... I think he was trying to clean my face but didn't know the leaves were poisonous." his half-closed eyes looked thoughtful "I know that sounds crazy, but I think that goon really didn1t want to kill me. He repeated that to me the whole time."

 

Krillin shook his head but preferred not to argue about the so-called kindness of one of Turles´ henchmen.

 

"I keep forgetting that you´re a half-Saiyan" he said, instead "Your father always get hungry after every battle." the memory of Goku eating all the food of a restaurant after their first tournament came back to Krillin´s mind. Feeling guilty, he also reminded the small breakfast of sandwiches and fruit he and Gohan had shared that morning. He should have give Gohan a bigget portion, instead of dividing the food in equal parts.

 

"You Saiyans must eat so much because you spend a lot of energy. It hadn't ocurred me that. Your mother would kill me if she learned I neglected you like that."  he concluded .

 

"No, she wouldn't. She would be very grateful because you saved my life." Gohan stated with conviction.

 

"Well, I think it's better if we´ll spend the night here... and the rest of this day." Krillin forced a smile. Days on that planet last a bit longer than Earth´s. " I'll try to find some water for you... maybe even some of those fruits we collected yesterday." he added as he started walking away.He advanced a few steps, but suddenly reminded something and turned around "If a beast or some of Turles'  men show up, DON'T fight! Just call for me, okay?"

 

"´kay." Gohan´s murmur almost couldn't be heard.

 

Krillin explored the entire area around the place where his friend was laying. Unfortunately, there was no water around. There weren't any of the fruit trees they had found nearby their ship yesterday, either. They found themselves resourceless. He could hunt something, but he didn't want to leave Gohan alone for too long, neither go too far away. He was so frustrated that punched a tree, ripping out a rain of   from its trunk.

 

"Damn it! Damn it! I´m doing everything wrong! Why didn't I rationed the food? Why didn't I get more water when I had the chance?"

 

He could call Bulma throught the walkie talkie, but it would be dangerous for her or Oolong to come through the woods after them. What he should do right now was putting Gohan on his shoulders and fly as faster as he could to the shelter. He still had energy for it... but it wouldn't be enough if he ran into any of the pirates. Worse, if he flied, the pirates could track his ki and finding the shelter, putting his friends´ lives in danger. 

 

"What am I going to do?" a despaired moan escaped through his lips.

 

**CRACK!**

 

Krillin jumped and whirled around at the sound - it came from the direction where he had left Gohan! In one instant, the small month reached the place, but it was empty. He started panicking, before noticing Gohan´s ki a few steps from him. 

 

"Gohan Gohan!" he looked around as he called, trying to not scream too loud despite his fear.

 

"Mr. Krillin!" Gohan´s voice replied from a tree at his back "You have to see this!"

 

Krillin rocketed to the other side of the tree. Gohan was there on his knees, exhamining attently something on the plant. Krillin noticed that the child didn't look as bad as when he had left him minutes ago, but his relief came mixed with irritation.

 

"Don't ever do that again!" he admonished"I thought that a beast had carried you away!"

 

"I´m sorry", Gohan muttered. He looked down aphologetically, then looked up again " I heard a loud noisy and came here, but there wasn't anyone around. And look at this."

 

Krillin looked where Gohan was pointing. A big piece of bark had been ripped off the tree, exposing a thick, orange, creamy-looking substance. He frowned in repulse, but its sweet smell make his stomack moan with hunger.

 

"Is that.. honey?" he asked hopefully.

 

"No. No bees or  hives. It's sap. The noise we heard must have been some animal ripping off the bark to eat this, but I scared it away." Gohan theorized as he dipped his fingers on the sap. He started taking them to his mouth, but Krillin stopped him.

  
"Wait! Don't do that. It might be poison. Or a kind of alucinogenous. Just like when..." his prudent lecture trailled off in face of the kid´s hungry, pleading look. 

 

Grudgingly, Krillin considered the situation. Gohan was right, nobody besides an animal would have hurt the tree that way  - and for what it would do that, if not for eating that sticky thing? Even if one of Turles'  goons decided to hurt trees just for fun, he would do much more than just ripping a piece of bark off. To confirm his thoughts, a small, winged insect landed on the border of the opened wound and licked the sap with its trunk.The two youngsters stared the small being for seconds, before Gohan's eyes met Krillin's, af if he was saying: "see?"

 

"All right", Krillin relented as he hesitantly dipped some fingers on the sticky substance He was very hungry, too "I think this is not going to make things worse than they already are." carefully, he took his fingers to his mouth to taste. His eyes opened wide and he immediately picked up more sap "Hummm... this is delicious. Try some, Go..."

Gohan was already digging in, drinking the sap at the palms of his hands as if it was water. He look like a baby digging on a bowl of porridge, and Krillin had to laugh, even knowing they souldn't make loud noises. Gohan started laughing, too, pointing at Krillin's equally   mouth. For a long moment, the height of fears and issues left their shoulders and they just cracked up cheerfully, as if they were back to the good old times with their friends at Kame's house.

Krillin made a move to rub his eyes but stopped just in time. It would be terrible if his eyelids were glued by the sticky sap.

"I haven't laugh like this in ages" he sighed, as reluctant to come back to reality "Funny, this slimy stuff   . "he lifted this hand to tap his belly, but stopped to not dirty his clothes "But I wish we had some water. This sap is too sweet."

"Maybe we´ll find water at our way back to the shelter." Gohan offered "We´re not that far, now."

 

Krillin opened his mouth to automatically say no, but gave his friend a better look. And his eyes opened wide in shock. Gohan was standing straight on his feet, his shoulders high, no longer leaning on the tree for support. His eyes were opened wide, instead of half-closed with weariness. Allright, he didn't look exactly full of energy, but was far much better than when Krillin had to help him to walk. Even his face didn't look that red now. Krillin stared suspiciously at the big, slimy wound opened in the tree. Was that thing like senzu beans? Or was it just producing a temporary feeling of welfare, just like some Earth substances, like chocolate and coffee?  

 

"A...are you sure?" he stammered "Not a minute ago you were almost fainting!"

 

"I know, but I´m feeling much better now. My body still aches a little, but my stomach doesn´t hurt anymore. Even my cheek stopped ticking. Aren´t you feeling better, too?" Gohan insisted.

 

Krillin had to admit that he wasn´t feeling tired anymore. Actually, he felt like he could fight another Coffee, and all by himself!

 

"We should take some of this sap for Bulma. Too bad I haven´t anything to where to carry it... maybe my ..." Krillin hesitated as he looked for his canteen. It was the only thing, aside the capsule-bike, that he hadn´t discarded when he left his hiding place to help Gohan. 

 

"No need. Just wait a little." Gohan said calmly, before licking off as much sap as he could from his hands and rubbing them on his pants. He picked up a leave of the tree and a small piece of its   . Using the as a shovel, he pushed some  on the leaf and folded its borders over the stick content, to make a sort of envelop. He still rolled a second leaf on the small package to keep the sap from leaking and tied it with a thread from his sash.

 

Krillin gaped in disbelief.

 

"Gohan, you´re a genius!" he exclaimed "Where did you learn to do that?"

"One of our neighbours taught mom how to pack meat and rice with cabbage leaves. Daddy loves it!"

 

The remembrance of Chichi´s food filled Krillin´s mouth with water.    Even though the sap had his clenched hunger, he craved for some of the good old Earth food.

 

"Please ask her to invite me when she´ll do it again." he asked, giving the tree a last look "I´m going to take a piece of its   , for identification. Maybe wel´ll find another trees nearby the lake."

 

They decided not camping. Krillin, however, told Gohan that they would make pauses ocasionally, and that the kid should ask to stop, if he didn't feel well.    However, as they went closer and closer to their goal, nothing happened and Krillin thought they could walk a little more. The programmed pitstops were totally left out. They were too close now, and it still was day, not mentioning that they would have much water in Oolong and Bulma´s hiding place. Ocasionally, Krillin checked on Gohan, afraid that he could be pushing his little friend too much. But, saving for some ticking on his cheeks, Gohan was doing well, his spirits going high.

 

"That sap is really a kind of senzu." the child commented heartily "It just takes longer to work. Look, another sap tree there! These trees are pretty easy to find, when you know how they look like."

 

"You may toss the leaf pack away, by now. Or give it to me. I´m getting tired again."Krillin joked, but his face was serious, the small dots tatooed on his head almost dsappearing under the frown "Gohan, don't you think this is too convenient?"

 

"What do you mean?"

"We were both tired and hungry. And you were hurt. Then, out of the blue, an animal - if it really was an animal - opens a hole in a tree that is both food and medicine. It´s just as if someone has been noticing we were in trouble and said:'here, problem solved'."Krillin reasoned.

 

"You saying that one of those bandits might be following us to know where our shelter is, and that´s why he helped us?" Gohan widened up his eyes at the horrible suggestion and instintively looked around, as if he expected to see one of Turles' henchmen crouched behind a tree" But, if it was a pirate, we would have felt his ki! They can't hide it like we do. I feel a lot of kis around us, but they are too small to belong to people." 

 

"You're right" Krillin admitted with a sigh "I think that thirsty will making me delusional."

"No, you´re right, too." Gohan replied, his eyes very serious " It was convenient. I think that the animal that hurt that tree could have been leaded by Kami-sama. Back in the hospital, daddy told me that, even though Kami-sama has died along with Piccolo, he is looking on us from Heaven. And there's Mr. Kaioh, too. Any of them could have sent an angel to help us. We had much luck untill now."

 

"Do you really believe in guardian angels?" Krillin made an effort to supress a laugh.

 

Although he was a monk and had met Kami-sama personally, Krillin was sceptical about spiritual issues. During his early, disheartening years in the Oorin temple before he ran off to Kameroshi´s, the young fighter learned at the hardest way that you can't could count on any help coming from above, just on yourself. As time passed, he learned that wasn't entirely true -you can count on friends, too, as long as they are honest and faithful like Goku. However, friends are mortal and limitated. For Krillin, Heaven´s forces came to help only when there was something important at the stake, like the safety of Earth and universe. Mostly, the celestial beings just stood and watched the living one´s misery without giving a damn. Of course he didn't dare to say these things openly.

 

"Grandpa told me that there are angels living among us, but they have no wings" Gohan stated, his tone firm and sure as a grown-up´s "There are those who live to make good, like dad... and those who make good even when they don't mean it, like Mr. Piccolo." he silenced and stared self-consciously at the small leaves his feet stepped, just for a few moments, before gaining courage to look at Krillin and finish timidly "When you came and carried me in that light, I thought you were really an angel." 

 

So many names Krillin had been called throughout his life... most of them insults, just a few were really compliments. But he never in his life would imagine that someone would call him an angel. Only Goku´s san, with his pure eyes, would be able to think something like that.

 

Krillin gasped, completely lost about what to say... and then he heard a very, very pleasant sound.

 

"Gohan... " he started in disbelief "... listen to this sound... it´s water running! We´re almost there! Water! WATER! WAAAATEEEEEEER!!!!!"

 

Forgetting friend, fear of making loud noises and all the rest, he broke into a wild run. 

 

****

****  


**Do Angels Exist?**

 

 

"Just as I said" Tea gloated, his mouth widening in an unpleasant grin "While that brat was distracting us with his " poor little beast" act, his friends moved the balls to another place."

 

"You already said that"Tidaba mumbled" When we saw the hole".

 

They had just found the three dragonballs left in a hollow tree. The new hiding place wasn't much far from the clearing where they had spotted the mentioned hole minutes ago. It was surrounded by fresh-digged earth, giving hint that someone had just opened it, probably to take something from it. Tidaba observed that it was weird that the so-called "namekuseijin" had concealed the spheres in a place so close to their former hiding place. Tea grudgingly replied that probably the guardian of the balls hadn't time enough to go further with them.  

"Whoever was, just dropped them in this trunk, so we wouldn´t caught him. Or her;" he theorized as he, Tidaba and Dromel flied to the spot signaled by their scouters. "The little brat probably was protecting the spheres guardian when our hunting party got too close from their hiding place."

 

And now they were there, standing in front of the last balls left. The pieces their chiefs treasured so much. Tea hoped to be greatly rewarded for that. With luck, perhaps he received some of that magic food master Turles was giving to Coffee...

 

A gush of wind brought them the unpleasant smell of burning wood, caused by Coffee´s favorite attack. None of the group commented the fact that the misterious "brat"- Gohan - who was fighting Coffee had survived, according to the scouters, but that gave them goosebumps. Especially to Tidaba. As he reminded how carelessly he had attacked the little monster, his green scales became almost white.

 

"Master Turles will have a fit if they´ll destroy the forest" Dromel commented with some concern"He was so..."

  
"Will you go back and ask them to stop?" Tea cut him off as he grabbed two spheres and tucked each under one arm "We must leave now!"  he added, shoting TIdaba a look.

 

Grudgingly, the fish-like alien picked up the last sphere as Tea took off, his red eyes scanning nervously the forest and meadows surrounding them. 

 

"Why such a hurry?" Dromel sneered, not leaving the floor "Whoever was with the balls has gone, right? You said that yourself."

"The friend of that brat might come back with reinforcements at any moment! I heard Master Turles saying that our scouters can't detect them because they can power down." 

 

Tidaba gaped at him.

 

"Wait! You´re saying that the friends of that little monster might be watching us right now and we don´t know?!" he rebuked his orange colleague in disbelief.

 

As if in a cue, a serie of numbers started running in their scouters, hinting that a strong ki was around. Panicking, Tidaba dropped the dragonball he was holding and jumped in the air.

 

"You brought us to AN AMBUSH! And you call us stupid..." noticing the horrified looks of his colleagues, he trailled off and looked behind.

 

A huge ball of energy was coming in his direction. Quickly, Tidaba and Tea flied each for one side, dodging it easily. Dromel just crouched and covered his head with his hands, even though he was out of reach. For their surprise, the ball flied past them and kept going, as if it didn´t give them a damn. Tea and TIdaba exchanged a confused look and glanced around, expecting for more.

 

Seeing that nothing had happened, Dromel joined them in the air, a bunch of fresh gibes ready to be spilled by his saw-teethed mouth.

 

"Pff. That was the big danger you two were expecting, big wimps?"he started "I can´t wait to tell everyo..."

  
As if it had heard Dromel´s remark, the big energy ball raised a few meters, drawing a big curve in the air. Then, it split in three smaller balls, which charged towards the pirates. And unlike their mother ball, these ones came very, very fast.

 

"OH SHIIIIIIIIIIT!"  Dromel's scream resumed the general feeling. 

 

The trio split, too, each flying in one direction the faster they could. Tidaba and Dromel were soon caught and disintegrated by the two first balls. A little faster than his cohorts, Tea was able to fly for a few meters carrying the two  precious dragonballs. When he finally realized it was hopeless, he dropped them, just some seconds before the painful, blinding light reached him.

 

*****

 

Gohan was at his wits' end. He was getting exhausted while Coffee still looked in high spirits - and worse, apparently unsensitive at most of Gohan´s blows. _"I have to go and see Bulma",_  the kid thought desperately _"But if I try to leave, he´ll come after me and try to kill me with that mouth blow again. How do I get this guy out of my hair? "_  


 

He had no time to think of anything else, because Coffee charged on him, laughing as a playful child. Gohan barely could block one punch after another in time. He noticed Coffee had left his guard temporarily open and tried to fight back, but the giant unexpectedly kicked him in the chest and onto the trunk of a tree, leaving Gohan breathless. For a few instants, the boy just laid against the tree, struggling to get his air back; then he felt Coffee´s ki raising and opened his eyes. 

 

"CAPUC..." Coffee was opening his mouth wide to use his special attack again. 

 

Gohan raised his hands and shot a quick kamehame-ha to block the attack, just as he had watched his father do to Nappa´s, a few months ago.

 

"HAAAAA!!!!!

 

"...CINOOOO!!!!" 

 

The energies of Gohan and Coffee´s attacks met violently and fought each other for a few seconds, before blowing out. Vegeta ran away, but was caught by the shockwave and sent away along with the pieces of trees, stones and other things around the two fighters.  His bare backside collided against the debris that already filled the floor. A thick piece of a branch hit him in the middle of the legs, expelling the air of his lungs. He kept himself in time to not scream, revealing his position, but he wasn´t able to move, either, even after the dust clouds vanished and revealed two heaving, exhausted silhouettes.

 

Fortunately, they were both too focused on each other to notice anything else in their battlefield. Coffee was still on his feet, but no longer was the immaculate pirate of a minute ago: most of his armor had been destroyed and his clothes were in tatters, revealing a few yellow-bleeding scratches. Save for this, he still looked fine. Gohan, by turn, hadn't suffered the effects of the explosion that much, but he obviously wouldn´t be able to stand much longer. Clenching his teeth to not moan, Vegeta painfully crawled behind of a pile of charred trunks and branches. Besides the hard blow on his dangly bits, his body was plenty of scratches and cuts produced by flying debris, but he didn´t feel any. Even the throbbing between his legs couldn´t be compared to the excruciating pain in his soul. 

 

His scouter was broken now, but its last register had been about 20.000...  that was so much more than Vegeta ever had, even in his best shape!  
 _  
How... how that is possible? How can an unexperient brat and a moron have gotten a power that even I wasn't able to reach...  THAT power supposed to be mine!"_  


 

During his years slaving for Freeza, the only thing that made Vegeta´s life bearable was his faith in his own potential. He always had fought in the front. Several times he had almost been killed. Not only because he risked himself too much, but because Zarbon and Dodoria did their very best into convincing Freeza to send Vegeta to the most dangerous missions. It was their way of showing to the Saiyan prince that they could do to him whatever they pleased. There were also those times when Vegeta had been punished under some stupid pretext - though that didn´t happen too much, because Freeza STILL didn´t want to loose his favorite "monkey pet".  Fools...  Instead of breaking him, they had just increased Vegeta´s strength and hate. And there was also the living hell that his diary training was.

 

Most of Freeza´s soldiers trained just when they were obliged. Save Ginyu troop, anyone else who worked out voluntarily was followed by a rain of insults,and sass whenever he entered the gym. When it came to the despised Saiyans, this unpleasant rain became a storm. Vegeta´s self- control was tested everyday and he also had to keep Radditz and Nappa - especially Nappa - from reacting to the insults. It was a remark from Guldo, in a day when Vegeta had been pushing himself especially hard, that alerted the prince he could be drawing too much attention on himself.

 

_"Why having so much trouble? If it wasn't an absurd, I'd think that you´re trying to become stronger than Master Freeza."_

 

Nappa stupidly opened his mouth and almost spilled the beans. Fortunately, Jeice and other bystanders started laughing at Guldo´s foolishness. As if a mere Saiyan monkey would dream of surpassing the Great Freeza! That was really absurd! Guldo´s suspect was taken as a joke and apparently forgotten.

 

_"Was it, really? What if Guldo and his cohorts had been following me and watched my secret trainings?"_

 

From that day on, Vegeta tried to not push himself too hard in his training at Freeza´s quarters. Only when he was out on space, along with Nappa and Radditz, he was free to give all his might. Initially, he made Nappa and Radditz fight him, together; but soon it became obvious that Vegeta was already much stronger than the other two Saiyans. So he started training alone, at every precious minute of the few free moments he had away of Planet Ice. Every small, slow progress put him closer and closer to his goal; that made him . One day he would be the strongest being in the universe... and all those who humiliated him would die painfully!

 

Because of his excessive self-confidence, this day never came.

 

_"Everything I fought so hard to win has gone and I don't even know how that happened."_

 

In spite of this, however, he didn't gave up. After many fruitless, painful tries, it became evident that it would be dangerous for Vegeta to keep forcing himself, so he started to train only physically. Even without the strength obtained with ki raising, he was stronger, agiler and faster than any animal in his prison planet, and as time past these habilities improved. However, no matter how hard he trained, nothing would give him back what Vegeta had lost. More than loosing hope of being rescued, it was the lost hope of being powerful again that slowly ate him inside and made him careless of himself for so long.

 

_"Even as a child, I was much stronger than I am now."_

 

And now he knew that he never had been nothing, even in his best shape. All pain, patience and efforts had been in vain.

 

 

A part of himself wanted to die right now. Vegeta wished that Coffee used again his mouth attack, disintegrating both him and the blasted kid who had put him to such a great shame. At least the universe never would now that the former Prince of the Saiyans was now just a weak vermin, good for nothing but crawling in the mud. His stronger, rational part, however, called him a coward and stupid. It argued that Vegeta shouldn't allow emotions to sweep him away. As hateful as that brat was, he could be his salvation.

 

But this same side of him knew that probably the child would die soon. And now it screamed with despair.

 

Gohan felt his strength leaving slowly.  _"This... this monster... is he undestructible? He´s worse than Nappa and Turles!"_   That was all he had the time to think before Coffee charged on him again. 

 

"Ho! Ho! Why did you stop? Let's go! Now we´re really heating up!" the big bully egged on as he tossed a new series of punches at Gohan.

 

Gohan dodged to left then to right; then, he ducked to avoid a kick that probably would break his neck. Taking advantage that Coffee had left his guard opened, he pushed the giant´s groin with all of his remaining strenght. Coffee bent forward, his mouth opened wide, but his howl was promptly muffled by a sudden, strong headbutt. Gohan felt, more than heard, a sound like rocks rubbing onto each others and realized he had broken Coffee´s teeth. Not wasting time, he kicked Coffee´s stomach.

 

For Gohan´s total shock, Coffee´s big hand grabbed his ankle. He hadn't even the time to yelp in surprise, because at the next instant he was spinning in the air, just like he had done to Tidaba, the green pirate. But, instead of tossing Gohan away, Coffee kept spinning and spinning him, as he laughed childlishly.  Until he heard a very suspicious sound. Quickly, Coffee lifted Gohan up, holding both the boy´s ankles with a hand, and stretched his arm as much as he could, so Gohan wouldn´t vomit on the remains of his armor. When the sickening sounds stopped, Coffee bent to pick some leaves from a nearby bush and used them to clean Gohan´s face. He stared with curiosity at the child´s pale, chubby face, at Gohan´s spinning, stunned eyes. If Goku´s son wasn't so dazed, he could have noticed a hint of pity into the giant´s face.

 

"That was closhe. Can we continue?" Coffee asked, his voice hissing through the holes between his teeth. 

 

He swang Gohan´s body slightly, to get his attention. Not having any reaction, Coffee looked disapointed, like a child realizing that his favorite toy is out of batteries.

 

"If you can't fight anymore, I´ll have to kill you. I heally didn't want to do that yet... even if you've deshtroyed my prey."

 

That _"I´ll have to kill you"_  reached Gohan´s ears. He was still a little dazed, but noticed something important: he no longer felt the kis of Coffee´s colleagues - specifically, the three who had broken off for the dragonballs. _"Krillin san must have killed them_ ",  he thought _"I can´t feel his ki... he must have flied away on the bike Bulma gave us... Bulma! She's waiting for us! I have to get rid of this monster at any cost!"_  


 

With determination, Gohan started to rock to-and-fro. Thinking that the kid was trying to break free. Coffee tightened his grip a bit as he watched Gohan´s struggles with amusement. Joining both fists under his head (he was still upside down), Gohan started powering up to fire another mazenko. 

 

  
_"I just_ _hope I´ll have enough energy left"_ , he thought.  

 

He raised his fists to Coffee´s face... just to have both grabbed by Coffee´s free hand. 

 

"Not thish tshime, you little rashcal!" Coffee gloated.

 

Gohan screamed in despair and pain; he felt his hands getting crushed and now he was completely .Holding the kids´ hands and feets tight, Coffee lifted him up above himself and stretched his arms. He pulled Gohan down, so the kid´s stomach landed exactly at the top of Coffee´s head.

 

"Thish ish for breaking my teesh!"  he gloated. 

 

The child´s scream rang into Vegeta´s ears. 

 

  
_"Stupid little scoundrel... "_  the Saiyan thought coldly _"he could have disposed of this moron of a thousand different ways. What a waste of power."_  


 

Putting his small opponent down, Coffee backed away a few steps, watching as Gohan clutched on his pained stomach, his knees folded in a fetal position.

 

"Aaah... owwww....  it hurts....  hurts..."

 

"Don't be shuch a baby. If I really wanted to hurt you, Id would have broken you shpine!"Coffee rebuked"But I admit that you´re  very tough for a kid." 

 

He stood still, hands on hips, watching thoughtfully as his little foe embraced himself on the devastated ground.

 

"Well...  we had a good fight, but now I have to go or Shuice will chew me out." Coffe said aphologetically " But don't worry... you're not going to feel anyfffing. I'm going to turn you into dussht, shust like the beasht you deshtroyed."

 

 

All Gohan could do was clenching his teeth tighter. He felt unable even to take his hand from his stomach. He just closed his eyes, fighting the imminent tears. _"I´m sorry, Dad, Piccolo-san, Krillin-san, everyone...   I just could'nt be strong enough."_  


 

As an answer, he suddenly felt a very well-known evergy close too him. His eyes snapped open in shock - unfortunately.

 

"TAIYO KEEEN!!!"  Krillin screamed.

 

Everything disappeared into a intense burst of light. A few steps away, Gohan could hear Coffee making a big fuss about having become blind. Judging by the thumps and thuds Gohan heard, the brown-skinned giant probably had hit some of the trees they had put down during their fight. Gohan was temporarily blind, too, but he didn't panick. He struggled painfully to get up, but this was unnecessary, because two strong arms picked him up from the floor and carried him away.

 

A few instants later, he felt the hands putting him down. Slowly, the anxious face of his big friend and pal showed up in front of his eyes.

 

"M...Mr Krillin! " Gohan whispered, because they weren't still out of Coffee´s reach "I-I thought that you had ran away. The dragonballs..."

 

"Chhh..." the monk cut him off "I dropped them into a holel. With luck, nobody will come after them so soon."

 

"The pirates knew all the time that the spheres were around," Gohan said in a depressed tone "Turles told his goons to not look for the dragonballs. He´s playing to us..."

 

Krillin frowned at his, but didn't answer. Making sure there weren't any witnesses around, he tossed a capsule on the floor to pop up the minibike Bulma had lend him. The small vehicle had only one seat, but it had a sort of box for luggage attached behind. They had used it to carry the dragonballs way without using ki, so the pirates´ scouters wouldn't detect them. 

 

"We´ll think of this later," Krillin said, as he helped Gohan entering the luggage compartiment " First, we´ll have to take care of you." 

 

Thanks to Capsule Corps excelence in machinery, the minibike wasn´t much noisy. It would be needed very acurate ears to notice its smooth, bee-like humming among the noises typical from woods; besides, Krillin´s senses would help him to avoid any hunting parties that could be wandering around. Unluckily, the bike was very slow. Even by foot, jumping and scamping, Krillin and Gohan would go much faster. Gohan felt that he was slowing them both, but there was nothing he could do now. Despite the aches running through his entire body, he was feeling sleepy. Gohan was already dozing when he felt an abrupt halt and heard Krillin mumbled: "Damn! I can't believe that!"

  
"What? Are we there yet?" Gohan questioned with groggy concern.

 

"I wish, but no. And we´re getting out of gas, too. Do you think you can walk?"

 

"Yes. I´m feeling much better now" Gohan stated sound more entusiasted that he actually felt. He stood up and tried to jump out of the luggage box, but his legs got stuck in the border, making him fall. Luckily, Krillin was fast and grabbed Gohan´s shoulder before the kid dived-nose on the ground.

 

"Better leaving the jumps for later", the monk gibed as he pulled Goha back on his feet"You´re all bruised, don't forget." and turned the bike into a capsule again.

 

Despite Gohan´s insistence that he was fine, after half an hour walking it become pretty clear that he needed so much more than a few resting minutes. His stomach was hurting again, now of hunger. Besides the wasted breakfast and the last drops of water from Krillin´s canteen, Gohan hadn't consumed anything through the entire day. Besides, his face was getting swollen and red.The leaves Coffee had rubbed on him probably had triggered some kind of allergy.

 

Krillin had to support Gohan a shoulder, or the boy would have fallen on the ground. Carefully, the monk leaded his weakened friend to a big tree and helped him to lay among its roots.

 

"Gohan, this is silly", he rebuked the kid softly "I know you don't want to slow us down, but forcing yourself like this will just make things worse. The head-blow you received in your stomach must have hurt you more we thought. And there´s your face, too."

 

"My belly is aching and I´m feeling sick, but I think that's because I'm hungry"Gohan replied"That gorilla made me throw up everything I ate this morning. He rubbed some leaves on my face... I think he was trying to clean my face but didn't know the leaves were poisonous." his half-closed eyes looked thoughtful "I know that sounds crazy, but I think that goon really didn1t want to kill me. He repeated that to me the whole time."

 

Krillin shook his head but preferred not to argue about the so-called kindness of one of Turles´ henchmen.

 

"I keep forgetting that you´re a half-Saiyan" he said, instead "Your father always get hungry after every battle." the memory of Goku eating all the food of a restaurant after their first tournament came back to Krillin´s mind. Feeling guilty, he also reminded the small breakfast of sandwiches and fruit he and Gohan had shared that morning. He should have give Gohan a bigget portion, instead of dividing the food in equal parts.

 

"You Saiyans must eat so much because you spend a lot of energy. It hadn't ocurred me that. Your mother would kill me if she learned I neglected you like that."  he concluded .

 

"No, she wouldn't. She would be very grateful because you saved my life." Gohan stated with conviction.

 

"Well, I think it's better if we´ll spend the night here... and the rest of this day." Krillin forced a smile. Days on that planet last a bit longer than Earth´s. " I'll try to find some water for you... maybe even some of those fruits we collected yesterday." he added as he started walking away.He advanced a few steps, but suddenly reminded something and turned around "If a beast or some of Turles'  men show up, DON'T fight! Just call for me, okay?"

 

"´kay." Gohan´s murmur almost couldn't be heard.

 

Krillin explored the entire area around the place where his friend was laying. Unfortunately, there was no water around. There weren't any of the fruit trees they had found nearby their ship yesterday, either. They found themselves resourceless. He could hunt something, but he didn't want to leave Gohan alone for too long, neither go too far away. He was so frustrated that punched a tree, ripping out a rain of   from its trunk.

 

"Damn it! Damn it! I´m doing everything wrong! Why didn't I rationed the food? Why didn't I get more water when I had the chance?"

 

He could call Bulma throught the walkie talkie, but it would be dangerous for her or Oolong to come through the woods after them. What he should do right now was putting Gohan on his shoulders and fly as faster as he could to the shelter. He still had energy for it... but it wouldn't be enough if he ran into any of the pirates. Worse, if he flied, the pirates could track his ki and finding the shelter, putting his friends´ lives in danger. 

 

"What am I going to do?" a despaired moan escaped through his lips.

 

CRACK!

 

Krillin jumped and whirled around at the sound - it came from the direction where he had left Gohan! In one instant, the small month reached the place, but it was empty. He started panicking, before noticing Gohan´s ki a few steps from him. 

 

"Gohan Gohan!" he looked around as he called, trying to not scream too loud despite his fear.

 

"Mr. Krillin!" Gohan´s voice replied from a tree at his back "You have to see this!"

 

Krillin rocketed to the other side of the tree. Gohan was there on his knees, exhamining attently something on the plant. Krillin noticed that the child didn't look as bad as when he had left him minutes ago, but his relief came mixed with irritation.

 

"Don't ever do that again!" he admonished"I thought that a beast had carried you away!"

 

"I´m sorry", Gohan muttered. He looked down aphologetically, then looked up again " I heard a loud noisy and came here, but there wasn't anyone around. And look at this."

 

Krillin looked where Gohan was pointing. A big piece of bark had been ripped off the tree, exposing a thick, orange, creamy-looking substance. He frowned in repulse, but its sweet smell make his stomack moan with hunger.

 

"Is that.. honey?" he asked hopefully.

 

"No. No bees or  hives. It's sap. The noise we heard must have been some animal ripping off the bark to eat this, but I scared it away." Gohan theorized as he dipped his fingers on the sap. He started taking them to his mouth, but Krillin stopped him.

  
"Wait! Don't do that. It might be poison. Or a kind of alucinogenous. Just like when..." his prudent lecture trailled off in face of the kid´s hungry, pleading look. 

 

Grudgingly, Krillin considered the situation. Gohan was right, nobody besides an animal would have hurt the tree that way  - and for what it would do that, if not for eating that sticky thing? Even if one of Turles'  goons decided to hurt trees just for fun, he would do much more than just ripping a piece of bark off. To confirm his thoughts, a small, winged insect landed on the border of the opened wound and licked the sap with its trunk.The two youngsters stared the small being for seconds, before Gohan's eyes met Krillin's, af if he was saying: "see?"

 

"All right", Krillin relented as he hesitantly dipped some fingers on the sticky substance He was very hungry, too "I think this is not going to make things worse than they already are." carefully, he took his fingers to his mouth to taste. His eyes opened wide and he immediately picked up more sap "Hummm... this is delicious. Try some, Go..."

Gohan was already digging in, drinking the sap at the palms of his hands as if it was water. He look like a baby digging on a bowl of porridge, and Krillin had to laugh, even knowing they souldn't make loud noises. Gohan started laughing, too, pointing at Krillin's equally   mouth. For a long moment, the height of fears and issues left their shoulders and they just cracked up cheerfully, as if they were back to the good old times with their friends at Kame's house.

Krillin made a move to rub his eyes but stopped just in time. It would be terrible if his eyelids were glued by the sticky sap.

"I haven't laugh like this in ages" he sighed, as reluctant to come back to reality "Funny, this slimy stuff   . "he lifted this hand to tap his belly, but stopped to not dirty his clothes "But I wish we had some water. This sap is too sweet."

"Maybe we´ll find water at our way back to the shelter." Gohan offered "We´re not that far, now."

 

Krillin opened his mouth to automatically say no, but gave his friend a better look. And his eyes opened wide in shock. Gohan was standing straight on his feet, his shoulders high, no longer leaning on the tree for support. His eyes were opened wide, instead of half-closed with weariness. Allright, he didn't look exactly full of energy, but was far much better than when Krillin had to help him to walk. Even his face didn't look that red now. Krillin stared suspiciously at the big, slimy wound opened in the tree. Was that thing like senzu beans? Or was it just producing a temporary feeling of welfare, just like some Earth substances, like chocolate and coffee?  

 

"A...are you sure?" he stammered "Not a minute ago you were almost fainting!"

 

"I know, but I´m feeling much better now. My body still aches a little, but my stomach doesn´t hurt anymore. Even my cheek stopped ticking. Aren´t you feeling better, too?" Gohan insisted.

 

Krillin had to admit that he wasn´t feeling tired anymore. Actually, he felt like he could fight another Coffee, and all by himself!

 

"We should take some of this sap for Bulma. Too bad I haven´t anything to where to carry it... maybe my ..." Krillin hesitated as he looked for his canteen. It was the only thing, aside the capsule-bike, that he hadn´t discarded when he left his hiding place to help Gohan. 

 

"No need. Just wait a little." Gohan said calmly, before licking off as much sap as he could from his hands and rubbing them on his pants. He picked up a leave of the tree and a small piece of its   . Using the as a shovel, he pushed some  on the leaf and folded its borders over the stick content, to make a sort of envelop. He still rolled a second leaf on the small package to keep the sap from leaking and tied it with a thread from his sash.

 

Krillin gaped in disbelief.

 

"Gohan, you´re a genius!" he exclaimed "Where did you learn to do that?"

"One of our neighbours taught mom how to pack meat and rice with cabbage leaves. Daddy loves it!"

 

The remembrance of Chichi´s food filled Krillin´s mouth with water.    Even though the sap had his clenched hunger, he craved for some of the good old Earth food.

 

"Please ask her to invite me when she´ll do it again." he asked, giving the tree a last look "I´m going to take a piece of its   , for identification. Maybe wel´ll find another trees nearby the lake."

 

They decided not camping. Krillin, however, told Gohan that they would make pauses ocasionally, and that the kid should ask to stop, if he didn't feel well.    However, as they went closer and closer to their goal, nothing happened and Krillin thought they could walk a little more. The programmed pitstops were totally left out. They were too close now, and it still was day, not mentioning that they would have much water in Oolong and Bulma´s hiding place. Ocasionally, Krillin checked on Gohan, afraid that he could be pushing his little friend too much. But, saving for some ticking on his cheeks, Gohan was doing well, his spirits going high.

 

"That sap is really a kind of senzu." the child commented heartily "It just takes longer to work. Look, another sap tree there! These trees are pretty easy to find, when you know how they look like."

 

"You may toss the leaf pack away, by now. Or give it to me. I´m getting tired again."Krillin joked, but his face was serious, the small dots tatooed on his head almost dsappearing under the frown "Gohan, don't you think this is too convenient?"

 

"What do you mean?"

"We were both tired and hungry. And you were hurt. Then, out of the blue, an animal - if it really was an animal - opens a hole in a tree that is both food and medicine. It´s just as if someone has been noticing we were in trouble and said:'here, problem solved'."Krillin reasoned.

 

"You saying that one of those bandits might be following us to know where our shelter is, and that´s why he helped us?" Gohan widened up his eyes at the horrible suggestion and instintively looked around, as if he expected to see one of Turles' henchmen crouched behind a tree" But, if it was a pirate, we would have felt his ki! They can't hide it like we do. I feel a lot of kis around us, but they are too small to belong to people." 

 

"You're right" Krillin admitted with a sigh "I think that thirsty will making me delusional."

"No, you´re right, too." Gohan replied, his eyes very serious " It was convenient. I think that the animal that hurt that tree could have been leaded by Kami-sama. Back in the hospital, daddy told me that, even though Kami-sama has died along with Piccolo, he is looking on us from Heaven. And there's Mr. Kaioh, too. Any of them could have sent an angel to help us. We had much luck untill now."

 

"Do you really believe in guardian angels?" Krillin made an effort to supress a laugh.

 

Although he was a monk and had met Kami-sama personally, Krillin was sceptical about spiritual issues. During his early, disheartening years in the Oorin temple before he ran off to Kameroshi´s, the young fighter learned at the hardest way that you can't could count on any help coming from above, just on yourself. As time passed, he learned that wasn't entirely true -you can count on friends, too, as long as they are honest and faithful like Goku. However, friends are mortal and limitated. For Krillin, Heaven´s forces came to help only when there was something important at the stake, like the safety of Earth and universe. Mostly, the celestial beings just stood and watched the living one´s misery without giving a damn. Of course he didn't dare to say these things openly.

 

"Grandpa told me that there are angels living among us, but they have no wings" Gohan stated, his tone firm and sure as a grown-up´s "There are those who live to make good, like dad... and those who make good even when they don't mean it, like Mr. Piccolo." he silenced and stared self-consciously at the small leaves his feet stepped, just for a few moments, before gaining courage to look at Krillin and finish timidly "When you came and carried me in that light, I thought you were really an angel." 

 

So many names Krillin had been called throughout his life... most of them insults, just a few were really compliments. But he never in his life would imagine that someone would call him an angel. Only Goku´s san, with his pure eyes, would be able to think something like that.

 

Krillin gasped, completely lost about what to say... and then he heard a very, very pleasant sound.

 

"Gohan... " he started in disbelief "... listen to this sound... it´s water running! We´re almost there! Water! WATER! WAAAATEEEEEEER!!!!!"

 

Forgetting friend, fear of making loud noises and all the rest, he broke into a wild run. 

 


	9. Safe... or Not?

**Chapter Nine**  
  
**Safe... or Not?**  
  
  
  
It wasn't a delirium caused by their thirst. There was really a smooth, gentle sound of water running, now almost muffled by the screams of relief of the very anxious Krillin. Forgetting all the cautious movements he had taken until that moment, Krillin ran through the last trees at the brink of that part of the forest.  
  
"WAATER! WAAAAAAATEEEEEEERRRR!!!!"  
  
He and Gohan now found themselves in another clearance, much wider than the one they had previously hidden the dragon balls. A large river framed by small rocks ran in front of a tall, huge stony wall, from where a beautiful waterfall was falling. It was behind that water curtain that Bulma and Oolong concealed themselves since their warrior pals had left in the last day with the dragon balls.  
  
Unlike Krillin, Gohan calmly walked through the trees, happy because their long journey had ended. He found Krillin on his knees on a rock less part of the shore, drinking as if he wanted to empty the entire river. Gohan knelt to drink, too, but felt something hard under his knee.  
  
"Ouh!"  
  
He glared at the wet grass, thinking that he probably had knelt on some kind of stick. His eyebrows raised as he picked up the offending object - it was not a piece of branch, but a long staff, with a thin line attached in one of its points.  
  
"A fishing pole?" Krillin asked in surprise. He had just taken his face from the water to stare at the object in Gohan´s hands.  
  
None of them had time to say anything else, because a loud, goose-fleshing roar made both jump around, their fists automatically clenched for the attack.  
  
A gigantic, hairy, hideous ogre stood menacingly in front of them, apparently came out of the blue. He wore only a thong made of spotted fur, and had two long, pointed horns at the top of his head. His frightening appearance contrasted strongly with his ridiculous weapon: instead of a big club or something more proper for such a big guy, he held a human-size sword, whose point was the only thing that could be seen in the ogre’s big hand. Anyone could think that the monster used that to clean his teeth. In the other hand, he carried a tiny, long thread with six freshly fishes hanging.   
  
The monster opened his huge, cave-like mouth, showing two rows of yellow teeth as sharp looking as his horns.  
  
"I am the lord of this river! How do you dare to enter my kingdom?" he boomed, his voice rough and loud.  
  
Krillin and Gohan exchanged an amused look.  
  
"Well", the monk replied playfully "I'll answer your question if you´ll answer mine: how did you get a thong made of leopard skin in this place so far from Earth?"  
  
The ogre’s eyes bulged and he looked down, more attently, to the two newcomers. A kind of bang was heard as clouds of smoke appeared. When they vanished away, the ogre was Oolong again, still holding the thread with the fresh fishes and the green dagger that Gohan had yanked off a rock at the day before. On Oolong´s belt, one of the laser pistols taken from the pirates that Krillin and Gohan caught trying to invade their ship.   
  
"At last!" the pig complained, "Where have you been all this time? I was starting to think you both had been caught."  
  
"You shouldn't have transformed like this, Mr. Oolong", Gohan rebuked softly "If we hadn't recognized your ki, we would have attacked you."  
  
"You guys gave me a big scare, kid" Oolong replied, "I was fishing for dinner when Mr. Moonhead´s screams almost gave me a heart attack! You two are so dirty that I didn't recognize you..."looking more carefully, he noticed Gohan´s shredded clothes and reddened face "What in the world happened to you?!"  
  
"We´ll explain it later" Krillin cut them off impatiently "Where is Bulma?"  
  
"Inside, of course" Oolong mumbled, his snout twisted with disdain "Where else that lazy woman would be? Since you were gone, she was there fumbling with her gadgets and bossing me around: ' Oolong do this, Oolong do that'...  I only could get some now because she´s napping."  
  
"And you took the advantage to steal her panties, huh?" Krillin teased as he spotted the point of a white thing peeking from one of Oolong´s pockets "No wonder Bulma has kept you busy!"  
  
"You shouldn't steal, Mr. Oolong" Gohan lectured "If you need clean undies, I can borrow you. My mom made me bring lots of them..."  
  
Krillin´s laugh muffled Gohan´s innocent offer, as well any other sounds around. The monk fell on the grass, and as more he tried to explain it for Gohan, more he laughed. He was stopped by the fishes that Oolong tossed angrily on his stomach, saying that if Krillin had time enough to make jokes he could clean the fishes as well. Protesting, arguing and cracking out, the trio entered the river jumping on some rocks strategically placed in the water, to go through the waterfall.  
  
A pair of wide eyes showed up in the bushes closer to the river. They could belong to a lemur or an owl, if such animals existed in that planet... and if they had eyebrows shaped like a "V".   
  
The bushes opened revealing a very astounded Vegeta.  
  
"Wh... What kind of people... are these?" these words leaved his mouth almost by themselves.   
  
It hadn't been easy for him to follow the bald dwarf and the brat, after the two ran from Coffee's wrath. Just like Coffee, Vegeta had been temporarily blinded by the baldy´s attack; but, unlike the dark-skinned giant, Vegeta didn't rely only on his eyes for orientation. Both the racket caused by the two fugitives and their subtle smells outstood among the regular noises and smells in the forest like a black spot in a white paper sheet. Well, at least for him. However, his temporary blindness and, mainly, the pain in his intimate parts, had slowed him down. More than twice he had lost their tracks; luckily, their flying vehicle was apparently malfunctioned, forcing them to walk.   
  
He glared at the waterfall, his heart full of anger. That talking animal had Vegeta´s treasured luthaniun dagger - all right, he had forgotten it stuck in the rock, but it was HIS! His cave had been ransacked by Turles´ me, and now his last refugee, his sanctuary, was taken by that group of nuts.  _"Whenever I get something precious, somebody takes it from me."_  he thought bitterly.  
  
But... so? If he succeeded it, he'd never see that place again, so why was he irritated? He waited a few moments to make sure that nobody would go out, before entering the river. Vegeta wasn't surprised for having the strangers vanishing away under the water curtain, because he had found the cave concealed behind it long time ago. He would have moved to the place, if it wasn't so humid and cold. Still, it was the perfect place for hiding. He listened very carefully, but no sound signaled they were coming back.   _"There´s plenty of space in there. Probably they are in the back of the cave."_  Taking courage, Vegeta started to wash himself, just taking care so his silhouette wouldn´t be seen through the waterfall. He hadn't taken a bath since the day he had killed those two langozaurs...  Looked like ages now.  
  
Hm... Even with all the noise produced by the running water, he´d supposed to hear the three chattering inside. The cave wasn't that deep, and those three were as noisy as a bunch of tetrahorns! Pushing cautious aside, Vegeta walked through the river towards the waterfall and peeked through it.  
  
And he backed off.   
  
Blinking to make sure that the absurd vision hadn't been some kind of optical illusion caused by the water on his eyes, he cautiously pushed his head through the waterfall again. Putting one very slow feet in front of the other, he baby-stepped through the waterfall, still in the dark about how to cope with that uncanning vision.  
  
In front of him stood a door attached to something that looked like a giant pink fruit. The pink round thing occupied every space in the cave. Looking more carefully, Vegeta noticed some see-through things here and there, attached on it - windows, no doubt about this. He took a few more steps, one after another, as if he feared that big thing could explode on his face at any moment. Before getting closer he already suspected that was a house, but he wanted to make sure, maybe because it was ages since he had seen any shelter that wasn't built with branches, mud or caved in a rock. Very, very slowly, he held out a hand and touched the pink material. It was smooth, pleasant to the touch, without any apparent imperfections. Deliciously synthetic. A sigh escaped from Vegeta´s lips as he was taken by a wave of nostalgia, like those he felt whenever he saw his old clothes again.  
  
It was really a house, apparently built in a way it took every space in the cave, but still... those guys hadn't been in the planet for more than two days. What kind of technology had they used to build such a big construction in such a short time?   
  
The sound of muffled voices coming from the building interrupted his musings. Realizing he was still caressing the wall, Vegeta held his hand back shamefully. Now he felt the smells of the brat, the baldy, that bizarre talking animal and others he couldn't identify. Some smelled like food.  
   
The reason why Vegeta hadn't heard many sounds was because Bulma was still sleeping. Surrounded by Oolong, Gohan and Krillin, she snore on a table entirely covered by scribbled papers, electronic components, empty snack sacks and lots of empty cups. According to Oolong, Bulma hadn't left that spot since she uncapsuled the house, save for going to the bathroom (he smirked when he said that). Oolong added that she had ordered him at least thirty coffee cups during that period. Gohan remembered that Bulma had said something about an important project. He pointed at a scouter among the mess. It was one of the scouteres Krillin had retrieved from those pirates who found their ship, and it was attached to Bulma´s computer and a kind of device they couldn't recognize.   
  
Obviously, Bulma was still trying to decipher the mysterious language the pirates were using to talk through radio. When the four Earth travelers left their ship in order to find a new shelter, they had tried to listen the scouter transmissions in order to know what the pirates were scheming. However, all they could hear was a cacophony of unpleasant, incomprehensible sounds able to give anyone a headache. Even the translator created by Bulma hadn't worked, although it was supposed to translate any kind of language.  
  
"Poor Bulma" Krillin said, half-ironic, half pitifully "She'll die trying to figure out this thing but she´ll never admit that even her genius has limits. Well, let's leave her resting and have a bath. We're both looking like two beggars..." he trailed off, noticing that Gohan looked downcast "Sorry, I was just kidding..."  
  
"No, you're right. “the kid reassured him "It's just that I haven't any change of clothes here" the little boy explained as he looked down sadly at what was left of his clothes, turned into tatters during his fight against Coffee. The puffy Namekian collar had been ripped off, and Gohan´s shirt now hanged from one shoulder " I left my bags in the ship when we left it... and there are only the clothes my mom has chosen in them."   
  
"Eeewww!" Krillin and Oolong chorused, their faces wrinkled with equal disgust. They remembered well the ridiculous suit Gohan was grudgingly wearing when the group left Earth, because of his mother. Chichi's taste for clothes came from several decades ago. Besides, they definitely were not fit for someone so active, who flied and fought hostile aliens.  
  
"Why didn't you order a spare copy of your Namekian outfit?" Oolong asked.  
  
"It never occurred me that" Gohan explained, slightly surprised for never having thought of such thing "It was hard for me to find an occasion and ask Granpa to order this one, because mom wouldn't leave my room in the hospital. I asked Granpa when she was sleeping."  
  
"And I thought that MY childhood was hard" Oolong shook his head pitifully "I'm going to lend you my clothes, but you owe me." he demanded as he led Gohan and Krillin toward one of the bathrooms in the huge capsule house "While you´re at it, wash out that stuff off your hair, boy! It makes your hair look like a helmet."  
  
Following a suggestion of Gohan, the two little warriors shared the bathtub. The boy missed the baths he took with his father at home, and Krillin used to take part in collective baths during his early life in the Oorin temple. It would nonsense one having to wait another finish just because of modesty. They were playfully tossing water on each other when they heard the door opening and closing - Oolong bringing clothes for Gohan, obviously. That reminded to Krillin the pig´s next comment.  
  
"In one thing Oolong is right", he began "You really should stop using gel. Your hair would look much better without it."  
  
"But... my mom..."   
  
"Tell her you were out of gel," Krillin offered for his friend. The kid frowned at the suggestion, so Krillin tried to fix it "Okay, okay, lying is wrong. Then... let me see... Tell me, Gohan, were you planning to get back on Earth dressed as a Namekian?"  
  
"Of course not. I would change my clothes before we go back to Earth. Mom would be mad if she saw me dressed as Mr. Piccolo..." Gohan´s eyes twinkled as it dawned on him "Got it! I´ll keep the gel for the day of our return."  
  
"Exactly!" Krillin agreed emphatically. He would add something else, but Gohan interrupted him.  
  
"Did you hear the door closing?" he asked, as he tried to listen.  
  
"No. Must be Oolong again."   
  
They sat in silence for a few minutes, listening. Gohan pushed a bit of the curtain that separated the bathtub from the rest of the washing room and peeked. Nobody was there.  
  
"I´m sure I heard something. But it didn't sound like Mr. Oolong." he insisted.  
  
"Then it was Bulma. Probably she needed to pee off all that coffee but gave up when she noticed we were here." Krillin concluded, as he carelessly pushed the entire curtain aside and jumped out of the bathtub.  
  
Drying himself with a towel, he made a beeline to the door, where he had hanged his change of clothes... and stopped.  
  
The clothes Oolong had promised for Gohan were there, piled orderly in a sort of balcony. But Krillin's change of clean clothes - a pair of boxes and a copy of the orange gi he had worn in the woods - were now scattered on the floor, his pants missing. So were their discarded, dirty clothes. Krillin would have to go out the bathroom in shirt and boxers.  
  
"So that's why he sneaked his way here." Krillin mumbled as he frowned at his messed clothes “He still must be pissed because I mentioned the undies he’s stolen from Bulma.But he's gonna have it!" dressing quickly the only pieces of clothing he had, Krillin screamed his way toward the kitchen.  
  
"OOLOOONG! Where are you, little rascal? OOLONG!"  
  
Oolong sat on a stool, removing the scales of a fish, when he jumped at Krillin's shouting.  
  
"What´s wrong with you? “he lectured "You almost made me chop my finger off!"  
  
The monk stood in front of him, hands on hips and a very forced grin.  
  
"Hahaha! That was a good joke, I admit it." he started "But, to make it really good, you should have stolen ALL my clothes, and the towels, too, so I would be stuck naked in the bathroom."  
  
"Are you crazy?" Oolong gaped at him "Why are you standing there in boxers?"  
  
Gohan arrived just that moment. He just stood at the door of the kitchen, not knowing if he should try to stop the fight or just laugh.  
  
"As if you didn't know," Krillin hissed, "Where are my pants?"  
  
It finally dawned on Oolong. His eyes bulged out in shock.  
  
"W... You are acusing me of scheming to see YOU in underwear?! That's really crazy! If you had accused me of stealing Bulma's, then... hey! Of course, she did that to you! She spent all the time moping around how irresponsible you and Gohan were for taking so long!"  
  
Krillin calmed down a bit.  
  
"Makes sense",he looked thoughtfully, not noticing the nervous signals Gohan was doing for him to look behind"Bulma loves scheming this kind childlish revenge when we make her angry. But would she steal my pants just because we're late?  That's ov...ouh!"   
  
A fist conked on the top of head, producing a loud "tunc." Oolong´s eyes widened up in fear, but before he could run, an even stronger conk made him fall on his bum.  
  
"OF COURSE I WOULDN'T DO THAT!" Bulma roared behind them. Obviously, Krillin's yelling in his way to the kitchen had woken her up "How do you dare, Oolong? Blaming me for your dirty schemes! And about you, Krillin, I´m very disappointed! I could expect that Oolong talked on my back because he's a fake, but you..."  
  
"Bulma, what have you done to your clothes?" asked Gohan.  
  
His question caught everyone by surprise. When you are frozen and staring someone in fear, your eyes catch the most stilly details. So Gohan couldn't help but noticing that the stern outfit Bulma wore their entire travel - black tights covering her from neck to toe and a sort of brown vest - had been radically transformed. Her shirt had its long sleever removed and received a large, U-shaped low-neck. Her pants now reached the middle of her tights, partially covered by a sort of brown short skirt - which obviously had been once the vest. Krillin and Oolong exchanged a "Is this time to care about clothing?" look, but Gohan´s question turned off Bulma's anger almost instantaneously.   
  
"Do you like them?" she asked, giving a large, vain smile "I could no longer stand the heat of this place, so I did a few alterations. I feel more like myself now..." the boys started to look relieved, but Bulma glared at them again "But, if you think you can escape with that, you're very wrong! I was pretty worried about the two of you, young man! What possessed you both into disappearing and leaving the dragonballs for the pirates?"  
  
"W...What?!" Krillin opened his mouth wide in shock "How do you know?"  
  
"It’s so obvious" Oolong sneered, "If you two are here, who is looking on the dragonballs? The Invisible Man?"  
  
"Mr. Krillin had no choice" Gohan said, quick into defending his friend "A group from those bandits came too close to the place we were hidden. I tried to distract them so Mr. Krillin would move the dragon balls away, but one of those pirates almost killed me, as the others..."  
  
"...tried to get the dragon balls, but they were disintegrated." Bulma finished with a smirk "By Krillin, I bet."  
  
This time, even Oolong was speechless. For some instants, the three wondered if Bulma hadn't stolen Uranai Baba's crystall ball and brought it with her.  _"I always saw Bulma as a witch, but not... well, not literally"_  the pig thought as he worried put a hand on his stuffed pocket  _"She must know that I've stolen her panties... and also that I..."_  
  
Bulma giggled at their shock and fear.   
  
"Easy, guys, I haven't become a seer." she reassured them” It's just I was following the transmissions exchanged among Turles’ men."   
  
"So, did you figure out what kind of language they are speaking?" Krillin asked, feeling a pang of shame for having doubted Bulma's habilities.  
  
"Actually, it wasn't a language. That's why the translator didn' t work. I had to turn it into a decrypter. It took me forever to create a system able to find all the random keys the pirates could be using..."  
  
"Decryp.. what? "  
  
"Decrypter, Mr. Krillin" Gohan explained to his bald friend, his eyes shining in enthusiasm " Of course! It should have ocurred us that. Turles must have realized that it were us who eliminated those two guys and that we probably had their scouters. So the pirates are having all their messages encrypted, to keep us from intercepting them." noticing Krillin and Oolong's blank looks, he tried to explain it in a more acessible way "Encrypting is distorting the messages you want to send, so whoever intercepts them can't understand."  
  
"Like pigpen or writing reverse? “Oolong asked "Y'know, these secret codes children use to exchange messages on school. “he explained, noticing that Gohan looked confused.  
  
Gohan never had been in a school, neither had other children for friends because the place where his family lived was too far away from the nearby town. But he had learned some codes during his period in the hospital, in order to exchange messages with his father and grandpa, without his overprotective mother noticing. Therefore, he understood what Oolong meant.  
  
"Well, more or less" he agreed "But it's kind of more complex. Just imagine yourself writing reverse and... This pigpen at the same time, for a first message, and then the next you'll use another different code and combine it with some numbers. It never comes the same way. Am I right, Bulma?" he looked up at his female friend for approval, remembering that she could be upset because it had been him to do all the explanation.   
  
"More or less" Bulma said in a restrained tone. She really would have liked to explain what encrypting was with more details, but she realized that Gohan's down-to-earth explanations were more accessible for Krillin and Oolong´s minds. Sometimes it was hard that any of her friends never got interested for subjects more complex than fighting, food and girls "I would have been more acurated, but... yes, you got close to it."  
  
"Now I got it! This is amazing, Bulma!" Krillin exclaimed, his enthusiasm sincere "You are a new Mata Hari! Now we´ll be able to watch the pirates' moves..."  
  
"...and anticipate them "Bulma finished, her voice full of pride "I am really a genius!"  
  
"You are a sneaky, that's what you are!" lectured Oolong, the only one who didn't look happy"You call me a fake, but you've kept me busy these last two days so I wouldn't know what was happening to Krillin and Gohan! Never ocurred you that I could be worried about them, too? More importantly, you all have forgotten that the spheres we worked so hard to get are lost now!"  
  
Everybody looked guiltily at him.  
  
"It is all my fault", Krillin admited "I had to choose between flying away with the dragonballs or having Gohan getting slaughtered. Later, when the moto was out of gas, I thought of calling you for help, but I didn't want to have Bulma risking her life in the jungle after us"  he explained, empathizing Bulma's name to make it clear that he knew that Oolong wouldn' put a foot out of the capsule house for them, despite his apparent worrying " Besides, if you were really that worried,why didn't YOU call me? Bulma told us that you left the walkie-talkie on her table!"  
  
"And that's why" Bulma added sternly "I thought that you weren't that worried. Actually, I was afraid that you could pretend interest in the messages just to look upon my shoulder and peek into my shirt."  
  
"You shouldn't have cut it so low" the pig confirmed impudently "I've got the blue balls since we left Earth, you know."  
  
Krillin and Gohan sweatdropped."I'd rather not ask," the kid thought, "If mom ever learns some of the things I have listened and seen in this travel, she’ll never have me anywhere around daddy's friends again."  
  
Bulma changed for the most important subject.  
  
"And the dragonballs aren't lost, technically. Of course, the pirates found the spheres in the hole Krillin tossed them, but they HAVEN'T TOUCHED them! They just left two guys watching... probably to follow Krillin or Gohan to our hiding place. Or to capture them, of course. Some of those bandits want to avenge their dead colleagues."   
  
Krillin gulped at this.  
  
"Others insist that those guys deserved to die because they disobeyed Turles’ orders” Bulma carried on "Apparently, he has forbidden everyone to lay a finger on our dragon balls. That small group that reached you guys shouldn't even have gotten close... they'd supposed to collect plants and living animals...” she was about to add something else, but stopped for a second and just concluded "Hard to believe, huh?"  
  
"I believe in you," Gohan said" Before we started fighting, that big bully... Coffee... offered me...  stuff in exchange for the dragon balls, but one of his cohorts said that Turles had told them not to touch the spheres. Then another bad guy laughed and said that Turles had forbidden of looking for the dragon balls. And that he wouldn't be mad if they just happened to find them. That's why they tried to take them from Mr. Krillin."  
  
The group exchanged confused looks, not knowing what to say about Turles' strange behavior. Apparently, it was a trap, but there was something else there that didn't fit at all.  
  
Krillin was the one to break their silence.  
  
"Well, whatever Turles' got in mind, he clearly isn't in a hurry to summon Shen-Long. That gives us time to take some action.. and to eat something, what do you say! I am starving... and I'm still only in underwear!"  
  
Everybody laughed.  
  
Since they were all too hungry and nobody was in the mood to rip scales off, the fishes caught by Oolong were put in the fridge for the next day. Instead, they all ate noodles, sitting cozily in the sofas and armchairs of the living room. Deep down, all of them dreamed of dumplings and other more elaborated food from Earth, but their mutual relief and optimism lifted up their spirits. This light mood lifted much more when Bulma told them the news she had kept for Gohan and Krillin's returns.  
  
"GOKU IS COMING?!" the three males chorused in happy disbelief.  
  
"My father told me as soon as we set foot here." Bulma confirmed, "He was trying to contact me for days, but you remember how bad the transmission was. Daddy found the ship that brought Goku to Earth when he was a baby... well, what was left of it... and rebuilt it, mixing it with whatever was left of Radditz' ship. Now Goku is close to Namek, but he told Dad that he is moving forward. Daddy was very confused about how Goku knew that he wouldn't find us there and..."  
  
"Mr. Kaioh must have warned him!" Krillin cut her off as he jumped to his feets, in such entusiasm that he almost dropped his plate of lamen" With Goku here and the sap to heal us, we got a chance to survive! Hurraaah!!" he cheered as he picked up Oolong's hand and both started dancing.  
  
Gohan joined them in the dance, as he singsonged _"My Daddy is coming, my Daddy is coming"_. It was quite a weird scene, the three singing and dancing like crazy people in the middle of the circle formed by the sofa and armchairs of the living room, a tray with forgotten food on each of them. Only Bulma didn't look so happy. Instead of joining the celebration, she remained on her place, looking very thoughtful; a strange behavior, given her cheerful nature. It didn't take much long for the sensitive Gohan notice how silent she was.  
  
"Something's wrong, right?" he asked "Something about Yamcha?"  
  
At the sound of his voice, the others stopped dancing to listen. Bulma nodded sadly.  
  
"When Goku received Yajirobe's senzus, back in the hospital, he ate one and left another with Mutenroshi, for Yamcha. However, Yamcha couldn't eat it because he was recently operated... my father, who is paying the hospital, could no longer delay the operation because Yamcha could die. Now Yamcha's receiving food through a , and his face is completely wrapped in bandages." she told, covering her face with a hand to hide the tears.  
  
Surprisingly, Oolong offered her his own handkerchief, even though he was sniffing himself. After picking it and cleaning her face, Bulma took a deep calming breath, before continuing.  
  
"Mutenroshi tried to rip the bandages off Yamcha to give him the senzu, but he was caught and thrown away from the hospital. But Puar and Chichi still can visit Yamcha, so they promised to find a way to make him eat the senzu." she finished.  
  
"That's horrible..." Krillin said, his head bow with pity for both his friends "I should have known that it was too good to be true. But don't worry, Bulma. You know how determined Chichi is; when she gets something in her head, not stands on her way. I am sure that she and the rest of our friends are going to save Yamcha. If not, the Namekians have promised that the next wishes for Porunga will be ours, as soon as their spheres will start to work again."  
  
Gohan hummed in agreement, as he touched Bulma's knee in a comforting gesture.  
  
"I hope so..." she sniffed, remaining silent for a few instants before changing the subject with her usual decided stance "Speaking of wounds, you and Gohan said repeatedly that Gohan was very hurt, but he looks okay for me, save for a few scraps and this red cheek."  
  
"Poisoned leaves. I had my face rubbed on them", Gohan explained briefly, not wanting to enter into details, since he was still confused about Coffee's contradictory behavior"But I was really hurt. Coffee hit his head on my stomach, and it was really painful. But the worse was to be hungry and tired... couldn't even keep up with Mr. Krillin. Then he stopped to find me some water and we found..." he trailed off to take both hands to his mouth, in a perfect parody of Edward Munch's most famous picture "Oh, no! The package I made to bring the sap was in my dirty clothes... if Mr. Oolong put them to wash..." his eyes become bigger in horror at the image of the sappy clothes in the washing machine.  
  
"Get a grip, boy", the pig said, "Did you really think that I would do all the hard work for you guys? I put your filthy stuff in a basket."  
  
Everybody laughed in relief. As Gohan ran to the laundry in order to retrieve the sap, Krillin told more about how they had found the mysterious medicine. Unfortunately, the little package that Gohan had made so carefully proved itself improper for analysis, according to Bulma. She explained that he probably had contaminated the sap with his saliva, dirty hands and even some substances of the leaves used to wrap the sticky thing. Still, Gohan and Krillin's discover was priceless. Bulma would provide them the right collecting material later, so they could collect the sap from the trees ( _Guess who's going to do it_ , Oolong whined)  
  
Bulma also found strange the way the sticky substance had been introduced to them.  
  
"Do you really think that it was an animal who tore off the bark? “she asked to Krillin, her forehead wrinkled.  
  
"Well... none of us got to see it, because it ran too fast. However, it could not be a pirate, or we would have felt his ki. They can't hide it like us."  
  
"Maybe, but I have another theory. The first messages I could decrypt were mentioned a man who lives in these woods - a savage one. “Bulma paused for an instant, savoring the surprised expressions her bombastic news had caused, before she continued, "Do you remember that dragon ball we saw isolated in the radar before we landed? It was in his cave. The pirates captured him once, but he killed the bandit who was watching him and ran away. Turles has sent many hunting parties after him, including that one that ran into you."   
  
"And they never found him again?" Krillin asked, although he already knew the answer.  
  
"No. Last time I checked, some of the pirates were saying they should stop looking for him. They think that the man probably died accidentally in the destruction caused by Coffee and Gohan. Or that he has ran for the mountains, or another faraway place." the scientist said, with admiration in her voice.  
  
"You mean that this man could have been following us and that he might have been the one who helped us?" Gohan asked in disbelief "But that's impossible" We would have felt him!"  
  
"Huh-uh" Bulma said playfully, shaking one finger "What makes this mystery man so difficult to find is that his fighting power is so small that NO SCOUTER CAN DETECT HIM."  
  
The two warriors gasped involuntarily.  
  
"...And... even with such a small ki... he killed one of those pirates?" Gohan dropped his jaw. He exchanged a quick look with Krillin, who was thinking the exact same thing as Gohan.  
  
"Oolong, how many times did you enter the washing room as Gohan and I were bathing?" the monk asked hurriedly.  
  
"That again?" the pig started to complain, "I told you..."  
  
"I'm not accusing you!” Krillin cut him off "Just want to know if you entered a second time, after you brought those clothes to Gohan. To recoil our dirty closes, maybe?"  
  
Oolong stared at him as if Krillin was crazy.  
  
"I got your rags when I left my clothes there. Then I went straight to the laundry space. It would be stupid to go twice..." he trailed off, his snout getting pale as it dawned on him "Is... Is that what I'm thinking?"  
  
However, Krillin had already turned around.  
  
"Bulma, didn't you enter the bathroom while Gohan and I were there?" he asked to the scientist.  
  
"Of course not. I was sleeping when you two came back, remember? But what are you guys so worried that somebody has peeked on you?" she smirked playfully and winked at Krillin "I had no idea that you two were so timid."  
  
"If the savage man you mentioned has followed us, he's probably here now", Gohan explained"It was HIM who's stolen Mr. Krillin's pants!"  
  
"Oh my..." Bulma trailed off, her hands raising to cover her mouth.  
  
Both Gohan and Krillin stood in the middle of the armchairs and sofa circle, looking around and trying to feel anything. Oolong had ran off earlier, when Krillin was interrogating Bulma.  
  
"Gohan, go with Bulma and check the west part of this house." Krillin commanded "I check the other half part."  
  
"W...Wait a moment", Bulma stammered, trying hard to stay calm "What if that... that man is on our side? He killed one of Turles' henchmen. And even if he was really here, he might have left by now..."  
  
Gohan nodded in agreement, but Krillin kept his stern frown.   
  
"He killed in self-defense. If that guy was on our side, he would have shown up to us, instead of tip-toeing here to steal our stuff. "he hissed "We can't go easy on him like we did to those fake Namekians."  
  
"Fake... Namekians? I thought... that you were the ones pretending to be Namekians" a voice sneered from the other side of the living room. It was a raspy, rough voice which started hesitantly, choosing the words, since its owner was no longer used to talk to other people. Before he finished his speech, Krillin and Gohan had already turned around, their kis raising, as Bulma stood behind them fearfully.     
  
At a few meters of distance was a brawny, strong-looking man, who was roughly as tall as Bulma. He dressed only Krillin's pants and a sort of filthy belt, where the of a laser gun could be seen. In one of his hands, a half-eaten fish, which he obviously had stolen from the fridge. His black, hard-looking eyes stared disdainfully at the people reunited into the furniture circle, as if they were the intruders and not him.  
  
He bit the fish, munched and gulped, before carrying on.  
  
"The little baldy is right. I'm only at my side. But, if I wanted to kill you all, I... I would have done it while these two useless shorties were busy on the bath. They are both too careless to be good warriors." he added, his voice more confident now.  
  
His answer were the subtle humming produced by the local electric devices and the smooth sound of the waterfall outside. Krillin had his eyes set on his stolen pants, which looked very tight and short on the stranger's brawny legs. He noticed that its sewings looked about to rip off on the thighs.  
  
"I owe some apologizes to Oolong", Krillin whispered to Bulma.


	10. My Past Precedes Me

_Turles' eyes narrowed - not because of the excessive clarity of the day, but out of annoyance. Even from that distance he could see that Nappa couldn't fight anymore; Goku's last blow probably had   some  . In a common being, it would have broken its spinal in two.  
  
"What an idiot" he mumbled "His hurt pride kept him from letting me fight in his place because he didn't want to take the risk that a third-class soldier would suceed where Nappa, the so-called elite warrior, has failed."  
  
He spoke only to himself. No no one would pay him any attention now,for all the eyes were on the tall Saiyan in orange clothes that held Nappa's body in one hand.  
  
Nappa and Goku's fight had been a complete fiasco. Even Nappa's best blows had been easily barred by the younger, less experienced and, worse, lower classed fighter. Humiliated and beyond fury, Nappa decided that if he couldn't win, he could at least make Goku suffer. Unexpectedly, he nose-dived towards Krillian and Gohan, his big mouth opened wide to turn them into ashes. He didn`t get to hear Goku's despaired hail behind or see the red flames exploding around his foe; he just felt the excruciating pain on his back - too late.  
_

_Moving so fast that even Turles barely could follow him, Goku flied under Nappa and caught him with one hand, before the gigantic Saiyan hit the ground. Landing in front of Krillin and Gohan, who embraced each other still not believing they had escaped from death,  Goku tossed Nappa's broken body at Turles feet  with move ostentsively disdainful.  
  
"He won't be fighting anymore. I suggest you take him back to wherever you came from and get him some help." he told to his sosia.  
  
Turles didn`tmake any move. He didn't take his eyes from his sosia, who was now chattering with the two shorties about his techniques. Ha, Turles could tell him to not waste time on that!   
  
"Turles... aren`t you listening? I told you to give me your hand." Nappa's insistent moans finally reached him.   
  
Grudgingly, Turles looked down at the fallen Sayan and the begging hand strechted out at his direction. Something in his eyes must have alerted Nappa, because the giant quickly changed his tone.  
  
"Please... I... I can`t move." he pleaded.  
  
Nappa`s change of attitude seemed to amuse the Sayan in blue armor.  
  
"But, Nappa... do your really want that I dirty your hand? I don`t want to contaminate you with my third-classed germs." he joked.  
  
Nappa gulped at this.  
  
"All those things... that I said... I never meant them." he lied "Really... I was just teasing you. Please, forgive me..."  
  
At this point, the last three protectors of Earth stopped talking to watch what Turles would do. To see if he would accepted Nappa's aphologies, as insincere as they were. Goku was especially anxious."Please...  show me that there's more of me in you... that you're much more than a pale reflex of myself" he thought.  
  
Turles still hesitated, but after some seconds he caught Nappa's hand.  
  
"Thanks..." the giant whispered with a weak smile.   
  
Goku relaxed his shoulders subtly.  
  
Just for a few seconds.  
  
Before the bones of Nappa's hand were crushed into Turles'  hateful grip. The pained scream of the huge Saiyan echoed throughout the valley as Gohan gripped at his fathers'  legs in terror. Nappa struggled to free his hand, but Turles put a foot on his chest, crushing his ribs.   
  
"Since Radditz introduced us, I never liked you." he hissed "You both needed my help because you were by yourselves after your treasured prince was gone. Oh,Prince Vegeta, so incredible that was named after our planet... a big idiot, that's what he was!" Nappa opened his mouth to protest against the insults at his prince, but Turles muffled him with his boot "Yes, he was an idiot. Someone so stupid at point of not hiding his dirty plans from Freeza deserves to be dead. And you and Radditz were worse. You took five years to follow Vegeta's plan and come after my man. What would you have done if there wasn't a Saiyan comanding the pirates, uh? Let me guess: you two would spent the rest of your lives licking Freeza's toes, until he discarded you both, too!  And still, you never lost a chance of throwing in my face that I was a third-classed soldier as you were an elite warrior just because you weren't sent away as a baby!"  
  
Goku couldn't stand that any more.  
  
"That's enough, Turles! I understand your anger because Nappa humiliated you so much, but he got what he deserved! You don't have to torture him!"  
  
Turles lifted his head to glare at the benevolent version of himself. He hesitated for a moment, before releasing Nappa's hand and backing away.  
  
"You're right. It's time to finish this." he agreed.  Raising the palms of his hands vertically, he concentrated until a ring of yellow energy appeared between them.   
  
"Please take this humble gift from a third-class soldier." he tossed the ring at Nappa.   
  
"NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" Goku screamed, realizing too late what was going to happen. He raised his hand, in a gesture that was as instintive as useless, seconds before grabbing Krillin and Gohan and taking off as the light of Turles` blast reached them. From the sky, the trio watched in horror as the clouds ofsmoke and dust vanished away, revealing a huge crater where Nappa`s body once had lied.  A few steps away, Turles stood completely unscathed.  
  
"T-That guy...  he is a monster!" Krillin stammered "He just killed his own friend!"  
  
"Nappa never was his friend" Goku replied coldly "Krillin, take Gohan to Kame's house..."  
  
It wasn`t  easy convincing Gohan to leave his father alone with his evil counterpart; but, after some arguing, Krillin finally took him away and Goku went down to face his new opponent.  
  
The two men stared at each other, separated by a few meters of distance, their legs separated in almost identical poses. They were two opposite poles: one, in hot colors, dressed in orange, his skin rosy and tanned; the other in cold colors, dressed all in blue, his skin grayish. They really had nothing in common besides their looks, Goku concluded. Strangely,however, that brought him relief instead of disappointment. He wouldn`t have any scruples of attacking that monster with his whole strenght.  
  
"Finally we`re free from those two brats."Turles sneered" I thought you'd be stuck with them forever."  
  
"Let's fight on somewhere else."Goku cut him off "Adesert place, where nobody will be hurt by us."  
  
"We don't have to fight, Kakkarot. I never meant that."  
  
"What?!" Goku stared at him jaw-opened, not believing what he had heard. _  
  
****  
  
The man standing at the other side of the living room was completely different from the images that Bulma, Krillin and Gohan had figured out. Both the boys had figured him out as a sort of huge, ugly, hairy monster like the oger Oolong had transformed himself in order to scare them away. Bulma had idealized a charming, brawny and tall Tarzan-like guy with long, curly hair like Yamcha's. However, the "savage man" the pirates talked so much about was as tall as her.  Maybe a little smaller. It was hard to tell due that big pile of opaque, matted hair covering his head. _"At least I was right about his muscles"_  she thought disappointed.  
  
The stranger glared at them and they stared back. Nobody knew what to say or what to do. Despite his arrogant words, Vegeta felt completely lost, and he didn`t like that. He was practical, cold, objective and destituted of imagination. During his years of exile,  he hoped that someday a ship would land on that forsaken planet ouf of repairs or to get supplies. When that happened, Vegeta would then either go aboard as a clandestine or negotiate a lift with the crew by offering his services as a mercenary. Better still, if the crew was weak enough, he would kill them all to steal the ship. That was the farthest he could go in his very rare daydreams. And even if he was the dreamest person in the universe, he`d never would have been able to preview that his salvation would depend on such a bizarre group of people. A blue-haired woman, a child and a bald  dwarf! Not mentioning the talking animal, whom probably was hidden somewhere in the house. To disguise his disconfort, Vegeta took a bite of the fish he had stolen from the kitchen and munched it, as he awaited until one of the strangers made the next move.  
  
Which didn't take long.  
  
"You are a Saiyan!" the boy exclaimed accusingly.  
  
At the word "Saiyan", the woman paled and shrunk behind the two short boys. The baldie bulged his eyes, before narrowing them and clenching his fists hatefully. Vegeta raised one eyebrow. Obviously, the Saiyans were still famous in the universe, but the reaction of those three was caused by much more than bad fame. Would they be survivors of planets attacked by Nappa, Radditz or Turles? And how did the boy know who he was? There were many humanoid races in the universe. He felt his tail rubbing that hairy, soft thing that covered the floor and looked down. Of course, his tail.  _"Shit. I forgot wrapping my tail around my waist because of this fucked belt. Now I can't use these fool's pity in my favor, like I used Garana's."_  
  
Pretending indifference to their reaction, he finished eating the fish and tossed its remains over his shoulder.  
  
"If you already know that, you've spared my time." he started " My name is Vegeta..."  
  
The reaction at his name was more hysterical than at his race.  
  
"The... the Prince of the Saiyans!" the boy stammered.  
  
"THAT Prince of the Saiyans?" the baldy echoed in disbelief"No way! Radditz said that you were good and dead!"  
  
'These people are really full of surprises!'  
  
"You know.. how do you know Radditz?" Vegeta quickly fixed the question he was doing, since it was obvious that they knew Radditz.   
  
"He invaded our planet." the baldy explained with hostility " We are from Earth."  
  
Vegeta silenced. Earth... that name was familiar. It took him a few seconds searching through his memories until he could put the finger on it. His former days were so distant now that seemed to belong to another person.  
  
"Now I remember. Earth was the insignificant planet where Radditz' little brother was sent to. So Radditz has finally remembered he had a brother" he scoffed"And you are looking for another planet to live because he and Kakkarot destroyed your Earth?"  
  
"Absolutely not!" the kid protested "My Dad didn't want anything to do from that hairy bully and told him to go away. Radditz kidnapped me, but Dad and... one of our friends killed him to save my life."  
  
Gohan`s voice was slightly rough as he finished his report. It was still painful for him to remember that horrible moment when he woke up to hear Piccolo say that his father was dead, even though Dad was alive now. Memories of Radditz, Nappa, Turles and the ominous battle they had on  Earth ran through Gohan's mind in seconds, increasing his hatred and distrust towards the stranger. Differently from the other Sayians Gohan knew, that Vegeta guy was short; still, he had the same evil glare and arrogant manners. To know that it had been him who revealed the healing sap for Gohan and Krillin just made the boy angrier. He had been so sure that a god soul was helping them and in the end it was just another bandit.   
  
Vegeta's reaction, however, wasn't as cold as his initial attitude. His V-shaped eyebrows curved, taking the exact form of a bird flying.  
  
"Your... you dad? So you are Kakkarot's son?"  he said disbelievingly as he made a beeline towards Gohan "You are lying! You can't be his son!"  
  
"Of course I am my father's son!" the child protested, both confused and angry at that accusation of lying. How did that stranger dared to say such thing?  "And his name is not Kakkarot, it's Son Goku!"  
  
Vegeta grabbed Gohan by the kid's borrowed T-shirt.  
  
"I don't care about the name Kakkarot has adopted on Earth!"he interjected " I should have known that you were a Saiyan... it's the only explanation for so much power in a brat like you. But don't offend my intelligence by trying to convince me that you are Kakkarot's son!  A piece of garbage like him never would be able of spawning such a strong child!"  
  
"MY FATHER IS MUCH STRONGER THAN ME!!!!"  
  
Vegeta's eyes widened up at this. They glared at each other for some seconds, the air between them so tense that it was almost possible to see sparks. Suddenly, Krillin stepped between them and pushed Vegeta away. The Saiyan lost his balance, not falling on his backside just because his tail supported him in time. However, the fall humiliated him visibly, because he glared at Krillin with pure hate.  
  
"Enough. Now it's our turn to make questions" the monk demanded, not noticing Vegeta's look "What are you doing in this planet? Why did your friends think that you were dead? And how have you learned to supress your ki like that?"  
  
"'Supress my ki?" Vegeta echoed, arching one eyebrow "Is that the name you give to this trick to hide your fighting power?"  
  
  
"I don't think that he is pretending, Mr. Krillin", Gohan ventured Seeing the older Saiyan humiliated lessened his anger and he felt he should be fair to him"There is something w..."  
  
Before he finished the phrase, Vegeta looked back, as if he heard something. At the next second, he jumped to the left, dodging by close from a laser shot. From the corridor next to the living room came a second shot that would have hit Bulma if Gohan hadn't pushed her in time. Vegeta had already jumped to the corridor, with an agility that would put a panther to shame and a nothing subtle noise of ripping cloth. Another shot was heard, followed by the sounds of a blow and a scream of pain.   
  
Recovering the use of their legs, Krillin and Gohan rocketed at the direction Vegeta had taken. He stood in the bottom of the corridor, holding a fainted Oolong by his t-shirt. The pig had a huge bump on his forehead. In a corner, they saw the crushed remains of the laser gun that had almost caused a tragedy. The pants Vegeta had stolen had a hole in one of its legs, exposing a few centimeters of the inner part of his thigh. A cut was bleeding at the left side of his torso, but he didn't seem to feel any pain.  
  
"You litte scum... I should kill you" Vegeta muttered for the unconscious pig when something grabbed his tail. Undisturbed, he slowly looked back and upon his shoulder.  
  
Krillin was holding Vegeta's tail with both hands.  
  
"Let him go. And give me your gun, or I'll crush your tail in small pieces." he demanded.  
  
"Idiot" Vegeta said as he disdainfully dropped Oolong, as if the pig was a laundry bag"You know that I am the prince of the Saiyans, and thus an elite warrior. Do you really think that if I had my full force I would be defeated by this childlish trick? We, the high-classed Sayian warriors, train our tails to become unsensitive."  
  
Krillin hesitated, remembering what happened when he grabbed Nappa's tail. But he didn't release his prey.  
  
"I don't buy it. You must be pretending!" he insisted.  
  
While they argued, Gohan made his best to avoid Vegeta and approached Oolong, bending over him.  
  
"He's fine" he reported "Must have fainted out of fear"  
  
"Must be pretending he's fainted, more probably" Vegeta scoffed, a smirk raising the corner of his mouth "If I really wanted to hurt this creature, I would have done a lot worse. Must have been hard for him to decide if he wanted to hit me or the loud-mouth woman..."  
  
"Shut up!Let's see if your tail is as insensitive as you say!" Krillin interrupted him as he started to twist the furred appendage in his hands.  
  
This time Vegeta started to feel pain. He struggled and pulled his tail to get free, but in vain. Krillin smirked as he started to twist Vegeta's tail tighter. Vegeta took a deep breath, fighting against the sudden weakness in hs legs. He took the laser pistol of his belt. The baldy's smirk widened, since laser shoots couldn't hurt him.  
  
Unexpectedly, Vegeta tossed the gun at Krillin's head.  
  
Krillin promptly jumped aside; his grip lessened a bit, but he didn't get to release Vegeta's tail. The prince tried to take the advantage and pull his tailback, but Krillin grabbed it firmly as he kicked the gun out of Vegeta's reach.I'm impressed. If I hadn't good reflexes, I could have let you go" he admitted "But what now? You have lost your last defense."   
  
Vegeta considered the possibility of getting free with a kick on the baldy, but gave up. He was exhausted and his energy was low after the long trip at the top of  the trees, barely eating and sleeping less. 'I should have stolen more food than that fish, but Ididn't want to call their attention back then. And even if I had eaten more, that wouldn't help now." he thought depressedly.  
  
  
"Krillin, stop!" Bulma yelled at his back "You might break his tail!"  
  
The monk didn't answer. He looked like mesmerized.   
  
"What else do you need to be sure that this guy is not going to harm us?" she insisted "He could have killed Oolong, but he didn't! And that pig really deserved it, after he almost killed ME!" Bulma pointed a still smoking hole on the couch, marking the spot were her head had been seconds before Gohan pushed her "I don't understand this ki thing much well, but even I can see that this guy can't fight against you or Gohan. Do you really believe that a laser shot would hurt a Saiyan?"  
  
"I don't think that he's pretending, either" Gohan added in "Saiyans are too conceited to pretend weakness. I can't figure out Nappa falling back with your pushing, like Vegeta did. Besides... you told me that only Mr. Piccolo and Kamisama know our technique of supressing ki."  
  
Krillin's hands shivered in relutance, but he released the tail, along with the air that he unconsciously held in his lungs. As soon as he did that, the tail wiped him violently on his right hand.  
  
"Never touch my tail again, or I'll find a way to kill you!" Vegeta threatened, his eyes glowing like a beast's as his tail wrapped itself around his waist like a weird, furred snake.   
  
Krillin backed off in shock as he held his numb hand. Calmly, Vegeta picked up his laser gun and strutted his way to the exit, leaving a trail of bloody dots.  
  
"Hey, hey, where are you going?" Bulma called.  
  
"I'd rather facing Turles by myself than staying here to be humiliated "Vegeta replied, his eyes staring forward. He stopped suddenly and tensed his shoulders, before turning back to glare at her "And I don't need your blasted pitty!" he outburst.  
  
"Typical of Saiyans,"Krillin sneered disdainfully " making a pose even when you are n..."  
  
"SHUT UP! You have goofed enough!" Bulma shouted at him so loud that instantaneously froze all the present males on their spots, including Vegeta. Even Oolong forgot pretending he was still out and sat up with wide eyes.  
  
Pleased with that, Bulma walked towards Vegeta.  
  
"Don't be so hasty." she said amiably as she stopped in front of him "It's obvious that you need our help. You have no clothes, save these pants you've stolen from Krillin..."  
  
"He can have them. I'd never want that back, after he wore them without undies" Krillin mumbled with disgust.  
  
"... you are hiding yourself from Turles like us and there's something keeping your ki low. And you know that we need help, too. We can make a deal."  
  
Vegeta stared at her with a raised eyebrow before crossing his arms and looking aside. That had been his plan when he followed Krillin and Gohan: to offer them an alliance against Turles. But now that the moment had came, he didn't know how to do it without humiliating himself again. Bulma stared back in frustration, trying to figure out what she could use to keep Vegeta on their side. It was clear that she couldn't count on her thickheaded friends. Casually, her eyes spotted the abandoned plates spreaded on the couches.   
  
"Wait a minute! Don't move!" she told Vegeta as she ran to the circle of seats.  Picking up her own plate (luckily, she hadn't eaten much, since her head was too full of problems to feel hungry) and also the small package of leaves Gohan had made for her, she quickly returned to where the Saiyan was.   
  
"Look at this! Feel this smell! I bet that you never ate lamen in your life!"Bulma entused as she practically pushed the plate on Vegeta's face. Her smile softened when she saw his nose twitch at the pleasant smell "It is cold now, but it is not raw and tastes much better than the fish you were eating " she added.  
  
Vegeta hesitated before grabbing some portion of lamen and fetching it in his mouth. Bulma had to make a big effort to keep smiling and not look away. At least he munched with his mouth closed, unlike Goku.  
  
"Bulma, what are you doing?" Krilling asked, completely ignored.   
  
"You eat this hot?" Vegeta asked, as soon as he gulped the portion. He grabbed the rest of the lamen with his hand.  
  
"Yes! And we have many different flavors!  My favorite is shrimp, too bad that we're out of it. Ah, and I almost forgot"  she opened the leaves package and offered him "If you really want to go, take this. At least you can't say that we've left your blood to death."  
  
Vegeta hesitated for a very short moment before taking the gift grudgingly. The wound caused by Oolong's shot was really hurting.  
  
"You know well the properties of that sap ,don't you?" she asked, to keep the conversation running.  
  
Vegeta gulped the rest of the lamen before answering.   
  
"I know well the tree that produces it, and so other ones in this planet " he admitted, as he cleaned his sticky hand on Krillin's pants. He rubbed the sap on his wound, his face stoic "Not many. But do you think that you can buy me with some portions of sticky food and a medicine that I can find anywhere in the woods?" he made a ball with the withered leaves and tossed it away, before crossing again his arms and wait for Bulma's answer. As despaired as he was, he wouldn't be talked into a deal without knowing more about what he would get with it.  
  
Bulma felt a wave of heat raising from her neck to her face. That man was as irritating as her fathers' chauvinistic shareholders - the only people to whom she was that patient, usually.  
  
"Of couse not, silly!" the blue-eyed inventor exploded, waving the plate in her hands as if she planned to toss it like an olympic athlet "I'm offering you a place among us, with all the commodities that we have: clothes, hot food, a confortable, clean bed! And the most important: a lift out of this planet! According to Radditz, you've been missing for four... five years, right? "she looked at her friends for confirmation.  
  
"Five" Gohan confirmed "I remember that well. I was frightened, but I thought it was funny that had happened just one year before I was born. Since one year has passed after Radditz, now it's six..." he trailled off when he noticed the shock in Vegeta's eyes.  
  
He was pale, his lips moving like the ones of a fish out of the water, all his arrogant stance melted away with two single words.   
  
"He's getting white..." Oolong commented with apparent concern" Looks like he's going to faint."  
  
"Vegeta?" Bulma called him softly.  
  
"Five... six years?" he babbled "I had no idea. Sure, I knew that some years had past, but it is difficult to have any notion of time in this place, because there are no moons or seasons. All days are just the same, and abominably hot... when my clothes wore off, I couldn't even replace them by leather..."  
  
"You could have tried a grass skirt" Oolong joked, but Gohan nudged his arm to be quiet.  
  
Fortunately, Vegeta didn't hear the remark. He barely noticed the environment around him, let along the annoying people in it. He was back to the small cabin of the ship that had brought him to his prison, and listening again to Freeza's voice taunting him in the video. Back to the moment when the ship exploded as soon as he put a foot out of it, tossing him against the trees. To his despair when he woke up to realize he no longer could raise his ki nor fly... to the days he had spent screaming and trying to fight against the whatever had taken the only thing important to him, until exhaustion, hunger and the pain in his head made him faint, just to wake up hours later and try again, and again...  
  
"CURSE YOU!!!" he exploded suddenly, his fists clenched "Six years in this hellhole?!  Six years... being powerless? FREEZA, YOU SON OF A BIIIIITCH!!!!"   
  
"Gohan, are you feeling this?" Krillin asked.  
  
"Yes" the kid nodded, his eyes never leaving the tormented man standing in the middle of the room.  
  
"Feeling what?" Bulma asked (prudently, she had backed off to the protection of her warrior friends when Vegeta started looking weird).  
  
"Vegeta's ki started raising before he screamed, but just a little" Gohan explained "Then it powered down again. Now it's coming up... and down, up and down. Something is keeping him from increasing his fighting power!"  
  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!YOU WREEEEEEEEETCH!!!!"   
  
Veins swelled on Vegeta's forehead as he fought, trying once again to power up. For anyone there is was clear that Vegeta would have destroyed the house and everyone in it if he was able to. Nothing happened, however, and all he could do was screaming in frustration. The pounding in his head became stronger and stronger, until he also started screaming in pain. Clutching his hands on his hair, Vegeta fell on his knees, his tail opening furrows on the carpet.   
  
"Vegeta!!" Bulma ran to him. Withouth noticing, her hands dropped the plate, which crushed into pieces at her retreat. Gohan joined her into helping the tormented Saiyan, but he pushed both away.  
  
"Back off... leave me al... aaahh... aahh..." that was all he could moan, before his face contorted  and he pressed one hand againt his mouth.   
  
"Don't dare vomiting on my carpet!"Bulma protested horrified "Oolong! Bring us some water!"  
  
The frightened pork didn't dare to leave his place. Luckily, the disgusting threat didn't became true. Vegeta was now heaving, drops of sweat coming from every exposed skin of his body to the carpet. Bulma and Gohan crouched around, not touching him but ready to help if he needed.   
  
Krillin slowly made his way towards the group.  
  
"That happens whenever you try to raise your ki?" he asked as he bent over the crouched Saiyan, not touching him.  
  
Vegeta looked up and shot him a disdaining glare, before staring the carpet again. Avoiding the charitable hands offered in support, he sat up, his legs laying loosely on the carpet his hands resting on his things and his shoulders slumped. He was the perfect portrait of despair.  
  
"This is horrible" Gohan muttered pityfully "That 'Freesio' guy did this to you?"  
  
"Freeza" Vegeta corrected him, his voice rough "You think that Turles is a monster because you never had to face the true evil. We, the Saiyans, were Freeza's most faithful servants, and he treated us like trash."  
  
"Now I remember this name" Krillin interrupted him "Back on Earth, Turles said that Nappa and Radditz looked for him because you told them to. Looks like those two were pretty lost after you disappeared, because only last year they took courage and contacted Turles'  pirates. He said that if Radditz and Nappa hadn't found him, they'd probably be licking Freeza's feet for the rest of their lives."  
  
"Very probably" Vegeta didn't shrug at the information because he never did that, but his disdain for the fate of his former partners was obvious "Those two deadlasts never were able to think by themselves. I'm not surprised that Radditz is dead. And Nappa, is he dead, too? He's a moron, but must have given Kakarott the Hell."  
  
"Not at all", Gohan said with pleasure. His pity for Vegeta vanished a bit in face of the Saiyan's cold-hearted behaviour. 'He's just like the other bad guys'' he thought, as he added "Dad would have defeated that big bully with a hand attached on his back. But it was Turles who killed Nappa, because of the horrible things Nappa said to him, just because Turles was a third-classed soldier."  
  
Vegeta's shocked face was really comic.The two small warriors didn't get to laugh, but they smiled. It was a small but sweet revenge, after all the things the evil Saiyans had made them go through.   
  
"And now he wants to catch you" Krillin added "That's what I call tasting your own medicine."  
  
"Serves you right, you big jerk!" Oolong exclaimed from his corner "We should toss him out of the house to be caught!"  
  
Bulma didn't like the way things were going.   
  
"That's enough! You three are looking like bullies tormenting a kid in the school yard!" she admonished the trio"If Vegeta still had his powers, would you treat him like that?"  
  
Both Gohan and Oolong shut their mouths - the first out of shame and the second to not be conked on his head. But Krillin   
  
"Bulma, it's Vegeta's fault that we are in trouble. Because of him, the other Saiyans  got together to kill our friends and hurt Yamcha, and poison Ear..."  
  
 **"SHUT THE FUCK UP, ALL OF YOU!!!!"**  
  
Vegeta's shout not only made everyone quiet but also caused them to back away, opening a large space around him. He took the chance to get up as quick as he could; he still felt a little dizzy, but his tail kept him from losing his balance.   
  
"You are a bunch of brainless morons!"he exclaimed, turning to face the annoying group of Earthlings"No wonder that you are in trouble, since you are not able to use properly what is in your hands - and your minds! First, you could have avoided your problems if you had hidden your oh-so-precious spheres on ANOTHER PLANET before you landed here. Are you going to tell me that, when you detected a group of spheres alltogether in this place, you haven't suspected that someone else wasn't gathering them, too?"  
  
An awkward, ashamed silence answered him.  
  
"It's easy to judge me, but what would you have done if you were enslaved by someone like Freeza? You just saw what he did to me... he did much worse to other people who deceived him!" he lectured, causing both the woman and the animal gasping in fear "I used to spent every waking moment thinking of a way to get rid of him for good... when these pirates started to ruin the Icejin's - Freeza's race- the Icejin's business. The pirates cleansed the planets to sell them, just we did. They also dressed and acted the same way, and constantly moved from a hiding place to another, so it was really difficult to find them. Freeza made the point of offering rewards for any clue about them."  
  
"But it didn't work" Krillin concluded "It's comprehensible when you know that Turles is their leader."  
  
"Obivously, I found they could be useful, even though I had no idea that there was a Saiyan among them" Vegeta went on "I took ages investigating secretly, until I found a clue" a bit calmer, he walked towards the circle of couches as he talked. Picking up one of the abandoned plates, he savoured a small portion of cold lamen before continuing "I warned Radditz and Nappa to keep secret, of cours. However, our plan must have leaked somehow. One day, I was assigned for a planet that was already taken over. I found weird, but those were orders, so I took the ship that was signed for me. They had messed the blasted computer, so I couldn't alter my route... All I could do was jumping off the ship when I landed, before it exploded." the plate broke under his fingers. Pieces of china fell on his bare feet without hurting him.  
  
"But you didn't leave any orders for your... allies to attack Earth, did you?" Bulma insisted.   
  
That again? Her question should have annoyed Vegeta, but this time he felt grateful to the woman for the distraction.  
  
"The last instructions I left were for Nappa and Radditz contact the... person I believed that was in cahoots with the pirates. Whatever else they did was their own decision." he stated, before finishing the subject for good "Enough discussing my past! Just put the woman, or someone else among you, to decyfer the scouter messages. While you're wasting time judging my life, we are losing important informations."   
  
With that, he grabbed another plate and started cleaning it, letting crystal clear that he'd no longer answer any questions.  
  
"I've never seen nobody enjoying Bulma's food that much" Oolong commented aloud.  
  
"We?" Krillin repeated Vegeta's word, his eyebrow narrowed "Well, he's got a point in this. Better you going back to the des-cri-whatever, Bulma."  
  
"Can I go, too?" Gohan asked eagerly"I'd like to see how you translate the messages."  
  
Bulma accepted his offer with enthusiasm. The last thing she wanted now was to go back to the computer.   
  
"It is very simple. You can do it by yourself. First, turn on the computer. As soon as it is initiated, push the bottom..."  she gave Gohan some hurried instructions before sending him to the terminal "Just go there and start for me. I'm coming soon after you, okay? Just have to solve a few things, first."  
  
Having dispatched Gohan, she turned to Oolong, that just stood at her side staring at the Sayan.  
  
"You're not doing anything, so just go to the kitchen and boil more ramen. Cut some sashimi, too."  
  
"Why me?" the pig protested.  
  
"Since you find my food so terrible, let's see how you do it. But first, clean all the blood Vegeta dropped because of you!" she finished, pointed at the bloody track on the corridor.  
  
Krillin took a few seconds to understand all that.  
  
"All that food is.. for Vegeta? You can't be serious, Bulma! This guy is not a stray dog like those your father gets in the street... he is a mentally disturbed Saiyan - one who eats like a pig!"  
  
"Have you seen yourself eating?" Oolong asked very offended, as he grudgingly retreated to get a cloth.  
  
"And what do you prefer to do, to expell Vegeta out, like Oolong suggested?" Bulma retorted to Krillin "If Turles' men capture him, they'll probably torture him and he might tell them that we are intercepting their messages.   
  
Krillin didn't know what to say.  
  
"Besides," Bulma carried on "Vegeta is smart. He knows how to survive in the jungle. What would have happened to Gohan if he hadn't shown the sap for you?"    
  
Solved the issue, she marched towards Vegeta, who was currently passing his finger on the last dirty plate to lick the last remains of gravy.  
  
"If you really want to stay with us, you'll have to follow a few rules. First, we don't eat the rests of food someone left in its plate. You'll have your own plate full of hot lamen - but first, you have to take a bath!"  
  
Vegeta stopped licking his finger to stare at her in shock.  
  
  
"What?!! I washed myself in the waterfall before entering!" he blurted before realizing it. Why was he accounting for his state of cleaning - and to that ridiculous woman, from all people?  
  
  
"You haven't done a good job."Bulma stated, her tone firm and disapproving "Your hair looks like a pterodactyl nest, I bet it never met a shampoo! And what's wrong about taking a second bath? Are Saiyans are made of sugar?"  
  
  
To increase Vegeta's shock and puzzlement, Krillin started to laugh. He turned to glare at her blue-eyed tormentor.  
  
"You..." he hissed through clenched teeth.  
  
"Oh, stop sulking," Bulma sighed and shooked her head "You'll have clean, good clothes, which are not full of holes like those pants you're wearing. Its bottom ripped open when you jumped to catch Oolong . And it's getting larger whenever you bent to pick those plates. At this rhytm you'll soon be walking around bare-assed!"   
  
Vegeta covered his butt with the plate.  
  
Bulma and Krillin's laughing increased so loud that Gohan and Oolong abandoned their duties to come back running. Krillin explained the best he could, since he couldn't stop cracking up, so the kid and the pig started laughing too. And Vegeta's face did nothing to stop them; actually, it just caused Krillin to fall backwards, clutching his aching belly.    
  
The mortified Saiyan had no way but following Bulma to the bathroom, his hands firmly holding the plate on his butt which had been exposed for almost six years before that.  Gohan, Krillin and Oolong's laughings followed them like an opera chorus celebrating Vegeta's return to civilization.


	11. Expendable... or not

 

 

 

 

 

 

_“Give it to us!” “All you got muz’ be our’!” “Kick’im harder! I wanno hear’im screamin’ !”_

_The excited shouts could be heard from the bottom of the cave, along with the sounds of kicking and pummeling, but nobody screamed in pain. With Sepsi and Beer on his heels, Turles followed his old host to the source of all that racket, his nose wrinkled in disgust as he passed by the women and children surrounding them (the rest of the tribesmen were out in a hunting party). The children stared at the newcomers with blatant curiosity, but the women just gave the pirates scared glances before turning back to their cooking, tanning or whatever was seen as “womanlike” there. It was one of these worlds were one’s existence is hopelessly limited by its gender. A world full of filthy, repulsive people with a ridicule fighting power and even smaller brains._

_But Turles needed one of them. One, at least. Birakas were primeval but though as claws and almost as physically resistant as the Saiyans. They had to, so they could survive. Especially the kids. The birakas’ most sacred law was ”The eldest always before the youngest”. Producing children galore and constantly having to face starvation due to the competition with predators and other tribes, the men hunted to feed their mates and first children. The younger ones got nothing but  leftovers, when there was any. They were leftovers themselves. Most babies of each litter died before their 12 th birthdays – the age when a boy entered the grown-ups’ world. Any boy strong enough to reach such age earned a name and was taught to hunt. If he became a good hunter – and, especially, if the patriarch was fond of him -, the now young man would have the right of choosing a female of his own when he would be old enough to spawn._

_The boy that Turles was looking for was just eight._

_Finally, they reached the bottom of the cave. The small space was crowded by brats of several ages, especially boys, squeezed so tight ones against others that it was impossible to see what they were kicking and punching so happily. All that movement lifted up small clouds of dirt, making the vision worse; still, Turles noticed that only the two older boys wore filthy, short leather tunics and what looked like boots, strapped to their calves with leather tires. They were both in their teens. A few kids slightly younger than them wore just skirts and thongs. The rest of the bunch – the younger members - were naked._

_The burly old man leading Turles was the father of all of them._

_“Back off, yo little scundrels!” he shouted, his dry voice giving a funny accent to his words._

_Instantaneously, the kids – mostly, at least – stopped and turned their heads to stare at the patriarch in astonishment. It was the very time that their old man interrupted their fun. However, the kids’ shock didn’t last more than one instant and soon they returned to their kicking and pummeling. Snarling at that display of disrespect, the ancient stepped forward, but Turles put a hand on his shoulder to stop him._

_“Mind you?” he asked, with a ironic solicitude._

_“Why wud I?” the old man promptly agreed, almost cheerfully “Go and kill whoev’r you’ll want, so we’ll haf more fud for who really deserv’s!”_

_“Nothing will make me happier than leaving this shitty place forever” the visitor thought in disgust, as he marched toward the children “And they say that SAIYANS used to be horrible parents!” Turles never had met his parents himself (couldn’t care less), but he didn’t have to wait his majority to proof how worthy he was. Entering the crowd, Turles brutally pushed aside whoever dared to stand in front of him. The few brats who showed some reaction were promptly frozen by a simple glare of the tall Saiyan; the rest just backed away, to reveal a small, filthy, almost naked boy curled in a ball on the ground._

_Bending forward, Turles picked up the little victim by the back of the kid’s neck, noticing that the boy hadn’t raised his arms to protect himself from the punches and kicks. Instead, he had one of them bent to his back with determination, as if he was hiding something, his hand grasping on something that obviously had caused all the fight. He gave the kid a long, appraising stare. The brat was clearly starving, but he didn’t look as weak as he supposed to be, in such miserable conditions… he didn’t look that hurt, either. But that was probably because his dark skin concealed most of the bruises and scratches. He wore nothing but a ragged leather skirt tied with a tight knot to his waist, which barely covered his little bits. Turles glanced at the naked children standing a few meters away of them: they were all older than the boy he was lifting up. Obviously, only the eldest were allowed to wear clothes, no matter if it was a complete outfit or just a dirty rag. So, the younger member of the bunch was breaking the rules! No wonder his siblings were spanking him._

_“You weren’t kidding when you said that this brat was resistant”, Turles said with barely disguised admiration._

_“The most resistant of my last litter.” The patriarch agreed grudgingly “Two of his older bros and all his youngur bros and sis are dead, but he’s still aliv’. It’s a stubborn, good-for-nothing little monkey, whom  think he’s as good as anothur.” he concluded._

_“A little monkey, uh? An interesting definition” Turles repeated in an amused tone as he looked again at the boy he was holding up. The little brat hadn’t make any efforts to break free; although he kept his right arm behind his back, he seemed comfortable, as if he was truly enjoying to be suspended by the skin of his neck like a cub._

_“You are not afraid of me, brat?” Turles asked amusingly._

_The kid finally reacted. His mouth stretched on a wide grin, revealing scarce, yellow teeth._

_“No. You ar’ strongur than my bros and I’m not affray of them.” as he spoke, he turned his head to glance disdainfully at his siblings and the other present kids, who stood impatiently at the bottom of the cave, waiting that the strangers went away, so they would come back to their fun “I’m goin’ to be twelf and becom’ a strong, big hunter! I’ll be the stronger hunter in my tribe and haf a name and good clothes. Evr’yboy’ll haf to respec’ me!” the kid concluded loud and defiantly._

_The other brats answered the challenge with whistles, boos and suggestive hand signals. One of the two older boys bared his teeth and crouched to pick up a rock, but the threatening looks of Turles’ escort make him put the stone down. Beer patted his rifle to make clear what could happen._

_“What if I’ll tell you that I can make you stronger right now?” the pirate boss went on as if he hadn’t noticed the small commotion._

_The boy dropped his jaw. His healthy eye bulged up – but just for a few seconds. He clamped his mouth shut, producing the identical sound of a     slamming, and stared at his captor in disbelief. Nobody could blame him for not believe, but something rang in the back of Turles’ mind. As much as he liked the boys’ strong will, there was too much defiance and rebelliousness in him. Turles needed a docile guinea pig, one that never would question his orders. Not a “stubborn little monkey” that could eventually replace Turles and take everything he had fought so much for._

_By other turn, if Turles left him, he would have to visit more biraka villages, instead of leaving that shitty planet. The simple thought of staying there one more day made the Saiyan’s guts twisting in repulse. Besides, he liked taking risks._

_“A boy with such a potential deserves more than wasting your life hunting for morons who treat you like trash. “he insisted “Come with me and you’ll gain an unimaginable power and the respect of the entire universe.”_

_“Yor’ not trickin’ me like my bros, ar’ you?” the brat asked pleadingly, his good eye showing an old pain. Obviously, his brothers had tricked him by giving him fake hopes, and more than once._

_Turles repressed a smile. Behind his fierce will, the brat was just a vulnerable child. That little thing craved into acceptance and need desperately to have someone to rely on. That was the tool that the pirate needed to turn the small savage into a faithful, subservient minion._

_“You must have noticed that I don’t belong this planet” he stated, pretending feeling hurt by the boys’ distrust.  The brat nodded and Turles went on “I came from a very distant planet because I need a special boy who’ll able to resist anything.”_

_“And this boy is me? “the brat asked in disbelief, his shock and happiness making his wounded eye open. At Turles back, shocked murmurs were heard. The pirate didn’t have to look to know that the rest of those disgusting brats were now boiling with envy. Turles made a big effort to not laugh._

_“Do you think that I would waste my time saving your life if I hadn’t a good purpose?” he asked, his face stony and serious “If you still have doubts, perhaps I should go back to my search “as he spoke, the hand holding the kid slowly went down “Maybe in another village I’ll find…”_

_“No! I’m sorry!” the boy grabbed his fist, as if his life depended on it (actually, it did) “I didn’ wan’ to offend you! Please don’ leeve me her’! I’ll do anythin’ to get strong! I’ll giv’ you all I got!” he pleaded, offering the object he had protected from his siblings – the bloody head of a bird “It’s not much”, he added hurriedly “’cause my bros and sis always take all I can get from the animals our hunters kill, but I promise  you that I’ll…”_

_“Throw that junk away!” the Saiyan cut him off, his patience at the end “You’ve got something that is much more precious than animal pieces. But, if  you really want to come with me,  you’ll have to keep your mouth shut!”_

_The boy promptly dropped his hardly-won treasure, at the same time he closed his mouth, the clashing of his jaws sounding like a trap closing. The pirate smiled at such display of obedience._

_“Can you walk?” he asked._

_The boy nodded and Turles lowered his arm. However, before  he put the boy down, the patriarch rushed towards them and yanked his son off Turles’ hands._

_“If he’s really so precious, I wan’ more than you prawmised! “ he demanded, his eyes shining with greed “I wan’ some of these fire sticks you’re carrin’. Your armors, too…OUCH!”_

_Although the kid had just a few teeth left, they were enough to cause pain. The patriarch raised his fist at him._

_“You lil’ peece of shit! I gonna slap yor’ mouth off..” he trailed off. His mouth opened wide as his eyes stared at nothing, his hand opening up to release his son, a few seconds before the old patriarch nose dived on the ground._

_Beer had taken advantage of the distraction caused by the kid to sneak behind the patriarch and knock him out with the butt of his riffle. Falling on his scrawny butt, the kid rolled aside, avoiding to be smashed by the ailing patriarch. Slowly, he stood up and spat disdainfully at the face of his unloved father. The two teenagers in tunics gasped and ran, not to their younger brother, whom was calmly walking back to Turles, but to their father’s body. Almost instantaneously, a mob of dirty children fell over the trio, laughing, mocking, biting and tearing off the clothes of their formers tyrants._

_“Just a spit and their reign was gone,” Sepsi  sneered._

_Both Beer and Turles snickered at the comment. The boy, however, turned around to stare at the tunnel with concern._

_“We must leave before the hunters come!” he warned “Evry’ one’s used to mah brothers ‘racket, but they’ll miss the patriarch. “_

_That made Sepsi and Beer bursting out laughing. That little brat was afraid that THEY would be killed by those primeval, weak hunters of his tribe? What a big idiot! However, their boss took the warning seriously._

_“He’s right. It would be very unpleasant for us if the rest of the tribe found out what happened. I’m taking the brat to the ship. You two stay… and do all the cleaning.” he ordered._

_His minions smirked as they lifted up the weapons the patriarch wanted so much. Although they belong to different species, the baleful, sadistic expression on their faces was identical._

_* **_

His master had kept  his word. Now he, Coffee, was big and powerful. He had a name that any biraka boy would die to have. He had good clothes and beautiful teeth. Occasionally, he was even allowed to have some pretty females taken from the planets he and his cohorts ransacked, although he never could keep them. He was respected, too – nobody liked him and Coffee knew that, but he didn’t mind it. This friendship stuff that weak races treasure so much is nonsense. Respect is much better. If Master Turles, Sepsi or Juice said that he would lead the scouting groups, the others had obey him and that was final. Even Tea, that big asshole.

And what he had to do to deserve all that good stuff was so so simple! He just had to take some drugs, fight with someone when he was told and let Master Turles and his assistants to examine him. Coffee found that amusing. Some drugs tasted bad, but they made him stronger and Coffee didn’t feel pain, even if he was terribly beaten. Other ones didn’t work. Other ones made him sick, but he just had to go to the tank to feel good again. Master Turles went angry whenever Coffee was sick, because Coffee was precious. The last member of his race. Sepsi had told him that an Icejin called Koola had exterminated everyone that lived on Coffee’s planet. Coffee had tried to feel something, but all he felt was a small deception because the patriarch’s wives never would see how tall and handsome he was now. Some treated him decently when the males were not around. One of those women made a point of sharing her food with him secretly, even at the risk of being punished if she was caught. Coffee always suspected that she was his mother… well, everybody dies someday. The kid that had fought him was probably dead, too.  Coffee felt sorry for having hurt him like that… even though the brat had broken his new teeth and destroyed his prey, after Coffee had offered him such a wonderful trophy ! He still felt his blood boiling at that ingratitude…

And yet, deep down, a part of him craved to see that boy again.

That was funny…

A moan left his mouth, unmuffled by the air mask. He stirred, trying to get rid of the tangled wires and cables connected to his body.

“Heartbeat speeding up. Denopa* reduced in 50… no, 60 percent… 62… 63… “ droned worriedly the lad assistant staring at the control panel of the tank “The accelerated reduction of the organ must be causing the pain!” he added in panic.

“Give him another shot of sedative, idiot!” Turles yelled “Before he’ll break the tank!”  
  
As the assistant ran to obey him, the Saiyan crossed his arms and stood watching the naked giant in the thank to calm down, Coffee’s movements getting slower, until he gave in to sleep again.

Turles still hadn’t found the perfect drug. When Coffee almost killed Kakarot’s brat, the other Saiyan thought that the    . However, he had just got close. His men found Coffee lying on the grass, squirming in pain and almost naked, because the gigantic alien had yanked the remains of his armor off, in order to relieve the pressure on his very swollen belly. At that moment, Turles felt like telling them to throw Coffee back in the woods to die… if it wasn’t for some points.

Maybe Coffee had made him a favor when he had taken secretly more two pills.

“Don’t give him the fruits mixture again until one hour has passed – diluted in one third of serum, this time.” Turles warned his assistant as he left the laboratory “The time to throw this bum in the trash hasn’t come yet.”

  **  ****

“Well, now that you’re dressed and fed…” Bulma started, after Vegeta finished cleaning his third plate of food.

“’Fed’?” Vegeta chorused her in a disdainful, sarcastic tone “You must be joking! These small portions you gave me can’t fill the quarter part of a Saiyan’s stomach! And ‘dressed’?”  he sneered as he tugged with disgust at the purple, extra-large T-shirt, the short pink spandex and the small orange sneakers he was dressing “I had more dignity when I was naked!”

“You’re keeping these clothes on, even if I’ll have to glue them on you!” Bulma hissed, her fists clenching “Nobody walks around naked in my house! Do you think it was easy for me to find clothes that could fit on your short, brawny body?”

Luckily for them, Doctor Briefs had a kit with random clothes at all the houses produced by his company – “for a rainy day of the customers”, he said. Bulma always had found that a waste of money, but now she was grateful to her father’s generosity. She hadn’t been overdramatic when she said she had trouble into finding clothes for Vegeta : first, Bulma had to search throughout the entire house until she found the clothes kit. Then, she had to separate among the pieces of cloth those that would probably fit on Vegeta. All that work took her more time because of the interruptions caused by Krillin and Gohan. The first kept asking Bulma where the sign blocker was, so he could take it to the dragon balls and the second occasionally came to ask Bulma something about the computer and the messages. The cherry of the cake was when a hyperventilating, stark naked Vegeta came screaming from the bathroom because his eyes were stinging with shampoo. 

That vision would be engraved on Bulma’s retinas for the rest of her life.

“S-small portions?” Oolong stuttered as he awed at the empty plates and bowls that crowded the table of the living-room “He ate our last yakissoba packages and all the fish I caught today! We’re going to starve because of him!”

Vegeta acknowledged the worried complaints with a disdainful look.

“I need all of you in perfect health. You may keep the rest of your supplies; I’ll hunt my own food as always” he conceded, before remembering something “Where are the baldy and the brat?”

“Krillin is off to take the signal block to the place where he’s hidden our dragon balls” Bulma answered “Of course he’s going to hide them in a new place – if those pirates haven’t changed their minds and picked them, yet.  And Gohan is checking the info on the scouter.”

The word ‘scouter’ rang a bell on Vegeta.

“Now I remember. You said you had built a device to translate the messages. Where is the decryp… the device?”

“I’ll show you later. Now I’d like to have a word with you…” Bulma started.

Dismissing her words, Vegeta turned his back to her and toward a door. That door led to the place where he had seen the annoying woman sleeping surrounded by wires and thingamabobs.

“I’m already sick of your voice” he dismissed her “If you won’t show me, I’ll find it by myself.”

Bulma’s eyes sent angry blue sparkles off. In an abrupt, fast move, she stepped and blocked his way, her fists clenching threateningly.

“Now listen, your ungrateful asshole! I am the ONLY one in the universe who wants to help you! Your former boss threw you out, probably because he no longer could put up with your jerky attitude. Nobody gave a damn, or you would have been rescued years ago. Even my friends, who love to help everybody, want you out of here. So, you’ll better treat me with respect from now on, unless you’ll want to be stuck in this planet jumping from a branch to another UNTIL THE FURS OF YOUR TAIL WILL BECOME WHITE! Got it?”

For a moment, Vegeta just stared wide-eyed at her. Finally, he humpfed and agreed into follow Bulma in silence. Oolong, whom had backed away during Bulma’s lecture, let himself fall on an armchair and released all the air his lungs were holding.

 

Bulma would have preferred to take Vegeta to the laboratory, but Gohan was there and she wanted to talk in private; so, she took Vegeta out of the house.  Finding herself outside, she gave a few steps toward the waterfall that concealed the cave.

“I wish we could talk outside” she sighed as she stared wistfully at the water, trying to see something out there “I’m so sick of this confinement…”

“Stop whining and tell me what you want!” Vegeta snapped impatiently.

Bulma glared at him upon her shoulder.

 “Allright, allright. You’re really a pain in the butt.” she huffed before sullenly turning around “How have you lost your powers?”

It was not even the last thing that Vegeta would imagine that Bulma wanted from him. He was so sure that silly woman had brought him there to dictate him behavior rules, promise him better clothes or anything else equally futile and useless. At best, he considered that Bulma would want to know more about the herbs of the planet.

 _“What an irritating woman! She’s completely unpredictable!”_ he thought, feeling a little humiliated because such an insignificant creature had caught him by surprise.

Unaware of his opinions about her, Bulma suspected that Vegeta’s ugly face was caused by the painful memories of his loss, and felt bad about this.

“You don’t have to go into details.” She reassured him with an embarrassed smile “I know it must have been painful, but…”  
  
“I don’t know how it happened.” Vegeta cut her off.  He closed his eyes, remembering once again the last time he had stepped on the Ice Planet basis “Since I came here there is not a day I won’t try to figure out how they did this to me.”

Taking a deep breath, the exiled Saiyan opened his eyes.

“That day, I returned to the basis after having accomplished a mission of routine. “ he explained “A group of soldiers escorted me towards the infirmary and the doctor told me to enter the regeneration tank, although I was healthy…”

“Regeneration tank?” Bulma chorused in confusion.

Vegeta glared at her in disbelief.

“You don’t know what a regeneration tank is? How do your Earthlings heal your injuries?” he asked, before hurriedly dismissing Bulma’s answer “Never mind. A regeneration tank is a… place where the patient gets immersed in a… revitalizing liquid until he or she is completely healed. The time for the immersion depends on how hurt he or she is. It might take a day or minutes.”

“You guys have something able to heal in minutes? That’s fantastic!” Bulma squealed as she joined her hands in enthusiasm “If Capsule Corporation could make these tanks, we’d no longer have hospitals! What I wouldn’t give to see one…”

“It’s simple. Just go out and get caught.” Vegeta cut her again.

As he expected, the young woman looked shocked at him – so shocked that he couldn’t help but lifting an amused corner of his mouth.

“I heard some of Turles’ men saying that Turles demands the prisoners taken alive, so he’ll make experiments on them. “ he went on, spurred by her horrified reaction. As Vegeta spoke, the horror in Bulma’s eyes increased, causing the other corner of his mouth to lift. Slowly, his lips stretched in a sadistic smirk of the pure delight of scaring that ridiculous, insufferable woman “Probably, he would torture you by all forms until you were on the brink of the death, before putting you into the tank, so you would be ready to endure another experiments session. And after this session, he would put you there again, and again…”

“STOP IT!” Bulma screaming, backing away and staring at him as if the Saiyan was a giant, disgusting spider crawling towards her “You… you are as repulsive as Turles! How can you find such horrible things so funny?”  
  
Vegeta replaced his smirk by his usually impassive expression.

“Idiot!” he lectured “Didn’t you want to see the regeneration tanks? They serve to heal prisoners after torture, as well to heal the warriors hurt on battlefield. There wasn’t any reason for me to get healed, but I had to follow my orders. I lost consciousness as soon as I was immersed in the tank. When I woke up, I was told…” in an unexpressive tone, he told Bulma how he had slept again in his ship, just to wake up much later in an unknown point of the universe, with the ship system damaged and unable to communicate to anyone.

“Your transformation must have happened when you were in the tank “ Bulma appraised the information “It would have been easy to inject anything in your body during all this time. But, why did they make you sleep afterwards?”

“Hmpf! Obviously it was to prevent me from noticing that the ship was not going to Nutek.” Vegeta huffed, since it looked too obvious for him. Noticing that she was opening her mouth again, he quickly went on “Now it’s my turn to ask: why do you want to know all that?”

“Because, if I learn how they have erased your Saiyan powers, maybe I’ll be able to restore them.”

 

 

 


End file.
